Blue eyelet ring

One of the most famous jewellery items worn in the Middle Ages were rings, often set with semi-precious stones, attributed with healing and magical powers. The range of stones used in jewellery was wide, and coloured glass eyes were also prized. Jewellery, like clothing, was a sign of the social position and financial status of its wearer. Wealthy townspeople and patricians could afford rings made of precious metals - silver and gold. One of such silver rings, gold-plated with a garnet glass eyelet, was part of a treasure of ornaments and coins discovered in 1999 during archaeological research in the Szczecin Podzamcze district. The ring features a motif of intertwined hands, which symbolised betrothal or marriage in the Middle Ages and loyalty, trust and friendship. A circular clasp of Ave Maria type, with a Latin inscription and the motif of hands intertwined in a hug, was forum in the same hoard.

Małgorzata Peszko