DISCOVERART

Probably Italian

Ring

c. 1525–c. 1575
Gold, tourmaline, and traces of enamel
1 × 0.5 cm (0.4 × 0.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Bold in color, this ring is in keeping with mid- to late sixteenth-century Italian Renaissance fashion. Its large step-cut pink tourmaline is mounted on a cast gold setting, ornamented with a series of scrolls colored with touches of blue, green, and white enameling. In the period, many stones, like tourmaline, were believed to hold healing properties, and therefore thought beneficial as well as fashionable to wear.

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