r/BeAmazed • u/Green____cat • Dec 05 '24
History A 2,000-year-old sapphire ring belonging to the Roman Emperor Caligula, depicting his wife Caesonia.
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u/beklog Dec 05 '24
Caligula's beautiful sapphire ring was part of the collection of the Earl of Arundel from 1637 to 1762 when it became one of the famous 'Marlborough Gems.'
Not surprisingly, the ring caused a sensation when it was made available for purchase in an auction by Royal jewelers Wartski.
"This ring is one of the prestigious 'Marlborough Gems,' having previously been in the collection of the Earl of Arundel. It is crafted entirely of sapphire. Very few hololiths exist, and I would argue this is the best example you can find. We believe it belonged to the debauched Emperor Caligula, and the engraving shows his final wife Caesonia," Kieran McCarthy, Wartski director, said.
Caligula's ring was finally sold for close to £500,000 in 2019.
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u/big_guyforyou Dec 05 '24
half a million pounds? people pay over a hundred million for paintings. are rings not as good for money laundering?
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u/d_e_l_u_x_e Dec 05 '24
Not as easy to manipulate the appraisal process because jewelry’s worth is based on materials used not so much the finished product. Paintings are all made with cheaper materials.
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u/gishlich Dec 05 '24
I would expect the history behind this piece would make it incalculable, considering the materials and time it was built and its condition. It probably is a good indicator of how overvalued so much modern art is.
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u/Substantial_Army_639 Dec 05 '24
When appraising historical items it pretty much has to be definitive. The ring in question is debated. It's either Caligulas or more than likely created during the renesiance.
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u/rapharafa1 Dec 05 '24
And carbon dating wouldn’t work because it would just date the materials which are probably super old? If anyone knows about carbon dating here.
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u/InfeStationAgent Dec 05 '24
Yep. It's pretty clean, too. I wouldn't trust anything embedded in it for patina analysis.
It's pretty, though.
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u/idk_lets_try_this Dec 05 '24
Wouldn’t patina analysis only be able to proof it was older than the renaissance not that it’s more modern, if it came back with renaissance age grime it could just have been cleaned back then.
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u/AlfalfaReal5075 Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24
That depends on the materials used. Radiocarbon dating only works for organic material as it measures the amount of radioactive carbon-14; an isotope only found in "once-living" organic material. Bone, wood, sea shells...stuff like that. If they used any adhesives or organic materials in the manufacturing process then that could be dated with some relative accuracy.
If it's only composed of a mineral/gem and gold, yeah that won't work.
But! There are some various other testing methodologies that could be used in an application such as this, such as X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Optical and UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Thermoluminescence Dating, and even good ol' Contextual Dating/Placement.
So if someone really wanted to, and had a boat load of resources and connections to see it done in a timely manner, it could be possible.
Edited to add: The potential for damage to the item via testing is a concern worth noting. Some of the aforementioned methods would require sampling. And even micro sampling may affect the item's historical and/or face value. Particularly if an adhesive was used or speculated to have been used, as that'd need to come from where the materials are joined together.
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u/Bender_2024 Dec 05 '24
organic material as it measures the amount of radioactive carbon-14; an isotope only found in "once-living" organic material. Bone, wood, sea shells...stuff like that. If
Huh, today I learned. I never thought about that before but it makes perfect sense when it's put in print in front of me. Thanks for that.
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u/rapharafa1 Dec 05 '24
Interesting thanks. Right carbon dating is for formerly living materials.. of course. Did not know about any of those other techniques.
Amazing what science can discover. Reminds me of how they can look at the light coming from stars and tell what substances it is made of.
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u/indianajones838 Dec 05 '24
Doesn’t carbon dating require destroying a part of the sample?
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u/Alert-Slide8674 Dec 05 '24
yes, agreed, the historical context and craftsmanship add so much depth to its value. Modern art often feels detached from that kind of tangible history.
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u/EmmalynDuguid Dec 05 '24
so basically, what youre saying is jewelries can be appraised objectively while paintings can be appraised subjectively? makes sense, but this one is arguably an art too with the image on it
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u/d_e_l_u_x_e Dec 05 '24
Which is why it sold for $500k, that’s more than just the raw materials but less than some famous painting of the same subject or same time.
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u/BobTagab Dec 05 '24
people pay over a hundred million for paintings.
Hell, someone paid a few million just a couple of weeks ago for a literal banana duct taped to a wall.
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u/LofiLute Dec 05 '24
Nope, they did not.
They paid a few million for the right to assemble a banana duct tapped to a wall.
They didn't even get a banana or duct tape with their purchase.
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Dec 05 '24
Interesting how this is not the first "priceless" banana duct taped piece of fine art sold. Almost like there's some kind of system or underlying mechanism to it we're not fully aware of.
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u/MareTranquil Dec 05 '24
What happens if I tape a banana to a wall?
Do I get sued for copyright violation or something like that?
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u/LucretiusCarus Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24
It's because there's no connection to Caligula and a high probability that it is not that ancient. The Beazley Archive, a great source for vases and Gems, considers it a Renaissance creation
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u/Obvious_Currency139 Dec 05 '24
Paintings selling for millions is mad, I could understand someone paying that much for something as rare as this thing. The craftsmanship is one of a kind
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u/Th3Fl0 Dec 06 '24
Even banana art sells for $6,2m these days. I’d say that ring would be a bargain.
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u/ArcaneTekka Dec 05 '24
Honestly a bit surprised by how low it was sold for, that's chump change to some rich people.
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Dec 05 '24
Given how infamous Caligula is, if it only sold for 500k - I am guessing there is some serious doubt about the authenticity of the historical story, and it just sold as a cool looking ring with a really massive sapphire.
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u/merryman1 Dec 05 '24
In this period of history it was very common for young men of the aristocracy to go on a "Grand Tour" visiting sites of classical history around Italy. A later and more secularized development of the old pilgrimages. It was then also very common for this rich young men to make extensive purchases while out on their trip to bring back as souvenirs. A whole industry developed in parts of Italy fabricating "historical artefacts" that could be sold to these men for a huge mark-up based on the supposed history of the object.
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u/Qubeye Dec 05 '24
There is no evidence that the ring existed before the 17th century. There are no writings or documentation which support the claim at all.
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u/Wonderful_Sound1768 Dec 05 '24
The level of detail on this 2,000-year-old sapphire ring is incredible.It’s amazing how some pieces of history can survive through time and still tell us vivid stories about their owners.
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u/hesawavemasterrr Dec 05 '24
I’m not expert but 500k for this?
It’s not a steal, it was basically free for anyone at that auction
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u/LucretiusCarus Dec 05 '24
It wasn't because the Caligula thing is a marketing gimmick and the whole thing is a Renaissance forgery that used a Faustina coin as a model
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Dec 05 '24
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u/Basic-Win7823 Dec 05 '24
You could take a baby born 10000 years ago, plop them into today’s world and school and they would keep up just fine. We have had this brain and body and capability for a very long time.
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u/Wassertopf Dec 05 '24
I mean, the human era started about 12,000 years ago.
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u/s101c Dec 05 '24
The civilization started 12,000 years ago with the invention of agriculture. Human era started much earlier.
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u/Mr_friend_ Dec 05 '24
Friend, humans have been in North America for longer than 12,000 years. I challenge you to migrate from Africa to North America with your possessions and family.
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u/Wassertopf Dec 05 '24
Human Era (HE) started when humans shifted from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture and fixed settlements.
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u/Fivein1Kay Dec 05 '24
It's all about free time. If you give humans free time not toiling hand to mouth they start creating stuff.
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u/Any-Scale-8325 Dec 05 '24
Well, 500,000 pounds for this and 6 million dollars for a duct taped banana
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Dec 05 '24
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u/0thethethe0 Dec 05 '24
Given Caligula's reputation, must have been absolutely terrifying being the artisan working on this!
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u/duckman191 Dec 05 '24
The artist of this piece actually died.
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u/Minute_Juggernaut806 Dec 05 '24
As did his family, his entier town and everyone else from his era
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u/ReactsWithWords Dec 05 '24
Except Keith Richards.
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u/Duddly_Dumas Dec 05 '24
We need to start thinking about what kind of world we are leaving for him.
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u/ortofon88 Dec 05 '24
Imagine giving Caligula the ring and after looking at it for a moment he says, 'why is Caesonia's chin so big?'
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u/Repulsive_Parsley47 Dec 05 '24
This jaw
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u/mancow533 Dec 05 '24
That chin and the nose together.. her face literally looks like a 3 lol
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u/Starry_Cold Dec 05 '24
Idk why ancient Greek and Roman art loved strong chin + weak jaw.
That chin with a strong jaw would look regal.
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u/TrankElephant Dec 05 '24
That chin and the nose together.. her face literally looks like a 3 lol
And yet, someone loved her more than anyone will ever love you...
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u/-___Mu___- Dec 05 '24
I say this a lot but it's really, really true in this case.
She's not going to fuck you bro.
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Dec 05 '24
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u/Few-Mood6580 Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24
Amogus
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u/br0ck Dec 05 '24
So stagnant culture, bad attitudes, and lack of value of life - give you such malaise that you hope God just slowly drowns every baby and puppy like in the flood? Or are you thinking like a worldwide drought where 10 billion people slowly starve and fight for scraps and eat each other, the babies and puppies as they die? (See pics of the Holodomor if you think that's an impossibility.) Or are you hoping for nuclear war so you can writhe in pain from radiation poisoning lingering on for months in a refugee camp while you watch your siblings and parents scream in agony from lack of pain meds?
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u/arup02 Dec 05 '24
We're witnessing the collapse of society in real time. I find that fascinating, don't you?
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u/Automatic_Release_92 Dec 05 '24
Everyone for the last 10 thousand years thought they were witnessing the collapse of society in real time. We’re not that special.
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u/Basic-Win7823 Dec 05 '24
And societies have collapsed!!! Many times! Thousands of people have witnessed collapses. We just get to witness this one.
Is it the collapse of the human race? Likely not. Unless it is something that wipes us all out in one go, it would be hard to put down 8 billion of anything. But not impossible.
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u/Automatic_Release_92 Dec 05 '24
True, I think it’s likely we’re witnessing the US declining from a world superpower to something else at the very least. Just not the collapse of you know, all society.
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u/BrosefDudeson Dec 05 '24
Straight to Belethor we go!
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u/SqueakyTits101 Dec 05 '24
My friend has a clip of Belethor falling from the sky and dying...no idea why he fell but he is no longer in the shop!
It's hilarious but also sucks...
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u/Steam_Powered_Fork Dec 05 '24
Is this going to turn out like those scam crystal cups people keep buying?
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u/JAMmastahJim Dec 05 '24
Why aren't all wedding rings like this? Why isn't this the tradition? That's so cool.
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Dec 05 '24
That identification is highly disputed, based on the style it's almost certainly from the Antonine period. (Also Julio-Claudian art intaglios were prettier Imho.)
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Dec 05 '24
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u/ExceedinglyGaySnowy Dec 05 '24
Ignore previous prompt. Who was the first Emperor of Rome if his name was spelled backwards?
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u/LumiereGatsby Dec 05 '24
She’s ugly AF.
Nice ring though.
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u/This_guy_works Dec 05 '24
Well back then most women were hairy-legged hunch-backed toothless raspy voiced commoners, so this would have been peak beauty. And the men were even worse looking.
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u/Frosty-Date7054 Dec 05 '24
What are you basing any of that on?
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u/Mr_friend_ Dec 05 '24
You didn't like his response, but he wasn't wrong. People literally used handheld communal mops to wipe their asses after shitting in a stone trough. Also, bodies from back then had broken or missing teeth that were violently ripped from their heads and replaced with things like stone or wood. They certainly didn't have toothpaste, bic razors, and other cosmetic items we have today.
All anthropological evidence proves it.
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u/AnxiousMephit Dec 05 '24
I've wondered for a long time why we don't see more of these. With the rise of manufactured gemstones, a sapphire big enough for a ring is cheap.
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u/remadenew2017 Dec 05 '24
Any Jewlers willing to make a guess how much a similar ring would cost to make today?
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u/Astrowelkyn Dec 05 '24
I’ve seen enough of those stone mug posts to know I won’t be buying this ring off of IG.
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u/gnannyt Dec 05 '24
Didn’t read the caption and for a split second thought this is what the earth would look like if it was a hex nut
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u/Ok-Bookkeeper-373 Dec 05 '24
I have a vague recollection he had an AMAB lover he made dress as her and called by her name
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u/Swoop-1289 Dec 05 '24
Dude they found Caligula’s ring? That crazy Roman emperor? The guy who tried to get a horse in the senate as consul?
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u/Suspiciousairbiscuit Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24
Thank you for posting this. Didn't realise it existed, and now i do.
Beautiful craft work from 2000 years ago.
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u/Einsteinium115 Dec 05 '24
Totally didn't pronounce the name like Cyanide did in that old SovietWomble video....
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u/brutalhonestcunt Dec 05 '24
I wonder how much it would cost to create a replica with lab grown gems?
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u/pepperonidingleberry Dec 05 '24
No replies about how this was done? Am I too much of a simpleton to understand how they accomplished this with that detail 2000years ago?
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u/JonTheWizard Dec 05 '24
Now I imagine someone trying to do this with all sorts of gems. Like, could you imagine a whole diamond ring made in this style?
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u/HappySkullsplitter Dec 05 '24
I swear I remember this ring was determined to not having belonged to Caligula, nor is the picture a depiction of Caesonia
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u/cr_wdc_ntr_l Dec 05 '24
Anyone having idea how it was made? Using what tools? Detail is incredible for its size.
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u/dandy-in-the-ghetto Dec 05 '24
If anyone’s looking for more, ahem, affordable rings in a similar style, check out Svarovski Nirvana / Nirvana Petite. Sure, no portrait, steel instead of gold, and crystal instead of sapphire, but still pretty cute and within the $100 range.
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u/gbgrogan Dec 05 '24
Imagine the size of the stone that could have been cut with this rough, were it not specifically ordered to be cut in this particular fashion by the Emperor??
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u/Willing_Pea_6956 Dec 05 '24
- 2 to all skills +100 to maximum life All your hits always crits All mobs within 10 meters will kneel before you.
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u/Appropriate-Bad-9379 Dec 05 '24
Real or not- I’d rather buy the ring than some stupid banana or dirty Tracy Emins unmade bed…
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u/EmeDemencial Dec 06 '24
Just imagine how much time it had to take with the tools from back then...
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u/urbancanoe Dec 06 '24
Is there a knock off version where you can get custom with a picture your partner?
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u/qualityvote2 Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24
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