This is a lovely old lapis carving… two melons with the prunus blossom surrounded by silver rope and leaves… but this is also a ring that has a secret!
Actually, it has two secrets… it opens to reveal a small lapis Buddha set in hand tooled silver and opposite the Buddha there is engraved a figure sitting cross-legged in the lotus position, (feet placed on opposing thighs).
In the West, rings with hidden compartments are called ‘poison rings’… a tradition that goes back to 16th century Italy when Lucrezia Borgia was rumored to own ‘a hollow ring’ that she use to poison drinks…
This ring is not a poison ring… just the opposite… maybe we can call it a meditation ring or just a miniature work of art?
Visit PrivateCollection’s PictureBook to see additional photos… many in larger formats.
