Golden oldies

A highly decorated Byzantine gold cross, dating from the 8th/10th century AD. These attractive crosses usually have a central coloured glass or garnet stone. From £650 A Roman circular gold pendant with fine rope-work decoration set with an orange carnelian intaglio featuring Liber, the god of wine, fertility and freedom Above: A Roman gold finger ring set with a superb carnelian intaglio of Fortuna, goddess of fate and fortune. This example dates from the 2nd century AD. Prices for similar rings start from about £800 A Hellenistic Greek gold bracelet from the late 2nd century BC with shaped garnets, emeralds and green glass stones. Mixing glass and semiprecious stones was quite acceptable in ancient times. Prices range from £2,000 for examples that remain intact special and significant meaning about which we can only speculate given the mists of time,” Alan says.

“Roman finger rings come in a variety of hoop styles: round, flat, angular, oval and even extremely delicate open filigree work not really suited to wearing today.

“Some ancient gold rings are surprisingly small, in fact too small to wear. They might have been made for children of wealthy families and kept throughout life, worn on a cord round the neck.

“It must also be remembered that the ancients were, in general, smaller than people are today. Thankfully there are still Roman gold rings of a good size and robust enough to be worn safely,” Alan adds, although with a caution.

“Before buying, always check that the hoop of a ring does not have a modern repair or has worn too thin. Also look carefully at the stone or intaglio to see if it has an undue amount of wear or damage, although certain chips and cracks are to be expected.”

Unlike fired pottery or organic material, gold and silver cannot be tested scientifically to prove its age, although the surface of ancient gold and silver sometimes has a slightly matt appearance which can be difficult to fake convincingly.

Ancient gold and silver should never be polished but simply washed gently with clean water and left to dry naturally.

“Wearing genuine ancient jewellery can bring a new, exciting and romantic dimension to an ancient artefact, being not only attractive but both an interesting talking point and a potentially sound investment,” Alan adds.