An Attractive Vintage Russian Art Nouveau (Russian Moderne) Men’s Ring

The gold ring is decorated in Art Nouveau taste with a cast stylized foliage. It features a cabochon-cut oval lapis lazuli in a six prong setting.

The ring was made between 1908 and 1917. It is marked with 56 zolotnik old Russian gold standard (14K). The assay mark is partially lost due to resizing of the ring.

Width – 3/8 in. (10 mm)

US ring size – 9 (19 mm)

Lapis Lazuli – “lapis” the Latin word for stone and “azul” the Arabian word for blue.

The stone is known since ancient times.

In Antiquity and in the Middle Ages, people believed that the cosmos was reflected in the lapis.

This particular stone has a beautiful midnight blue color and sparkling inclusions of golden pyrite resembling a night sky sphere.

In Russia, lapis lazuli is mined in Siberia (Lake Baikal area). It was frequently used by the renowned Russian master jeweler Peter Carl Faberge.