This is a beautifully carved amethyst intaglio crest seal mounted in 14 karat yellow gold. Carved on the flat plane of the faceted oval amethyst is a hand in a blessing pose on top of a shield with a banner below. This gesture, in which the first two fingers and the thumb are extended and the third and fourth finger are closed, is among the most frequently occurring of Christ's hand gestures in Christian art. It emerged as a sign of benediction or blessing in early Christian and Byzantine art. With the thumb opened, the three open digits came to represent the Trinity (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), while the two closed represented the dual nature of Christ as both man and God. The banner reads Confido which translates to have confidence in or to have full trust. The intaglio has crisp detail and imparts a beautiful message. The ring is bezel set with the gold mount conical in shape The ring shank is rather decorative and splits off to a triple shank with bold elements.
The amethyst measures 18 x 15 x 6.50 mm or about 17 carats and is a pale purple. The ring is a size 9. There is age expected wear to the gold as it is worn from use. Weight 8 grams, acid tested to be 14 karat gold. Early Victorian circa 1850.
