31 - A VIKING GOLD KNOT RING

A VIKING GOLD KNOT RING CIRCA 800-1100 AD Formed from a single unbroken strand of drawn gold wire, with coiled wire terminals. Analysed as 90.37% gold, 8.16% silver, 1.47% copper Size/dimensions: ring size Q (US 8 1/2) Gross weight: 2.44g There is minor distortion to the round shape of the band, but no brittle fractures or stress cracks. A few light dents and marks are present as expected with age, and the ring is offered in very good condition. Provenance By descent to the present owner Viking rings of gold and silver were both personal ornaments and a portable, wearable store of wealth, and the giving of rings was central to the bond between a lord and his followers. In Old Norse and Old English poetry, a generous ruler is praised as a “ring-giver”, and in Beowulf a king’s hall is the place where rings are shared out among his warriors. This one is formed from a single strand of drawn gold wire, with the ends coiled around the hoop. This simple but effective construction which allowed the ring to be enlarged or reduced as it passed from one owner to another.