Ancient Roman signet ring with carnelian intaglio of Mercury. Set horizontally with an oval carnelian intaglio depicting the god Mercury wearing a wide-brimmed round hat called a petasos and a traveller's half length cloak or chlamys, flanked by broad integrated shoulders and tapering down to a D-shape shank. Tested yellow gold, approximately 4.4g in weight, circa 2nd-3rd century AD.
See Ruseva-Slokoska, L. 'Roman Jewellery', Sofia, 1991, item 239 for a comparable ring.
Mercury was the Roman god of commerce, travelling, boundaries and luck. His Greek counterpart is the god Hermes.
