Dated 1896

Although, there are no marks, the ring is definitely French. The vari-color gold ring with superbly carved stylized floral designs in Art Nouveau taste, is bezel-set with a huge sugar loaf emerald of a silverish pale green color

(16 x 13.5 x 8.85 mm, approximately 14.30 ct).

The emerald is flanked by two old European cut diamonds.

The engraved inscription inside the ring in Russian and French could be translated as:

“In memory of Paris year 1896”

Almost certainly the ring belonged to a wealthy Russian, perhaps an aristocrat, who visited Paris in 1896 likely accompanying the newly crowned Tsar Nicholas II of Russia during his state visit to France in October 1896. We don’t have provenance for this ring but based on the engraving, it is almost certainly that the ring was given by the French authorities to a person who accompanied the Tsar during his visit to Paris. The highly unusual style of the ring, the Art Nouveau that appeared in France at that time, was thought to impress the recipient.

Weight 17.12 grams

Size 10 (20 mm)

The ring is sizable but engraving (if sized down) will be partially lost.