Gemstone Collection

Miniature shallow dish with flared sidewall. 13.3 grams, 30 mm



From the private collection of Mr K.A., acquired in the 1990s-early 2000s.

Comprising an olive wood cross on a triangular base with inlaid nacre and other detailing; lozengiform panels and nail-shaped plates, lateral rods with nacre to the ends; base with central gazed panel revealing three fragmentary supposed relics and label 'S. Serafin C'. 372 grams, 46.6 cm



Property of a Norwich, Norfolk, UK, gentleman.

Serafin was born in San Gimignano, Italy. Her family was poor, and her parents both died while she was still young. The child was known for her deeds of penance and humility but an illness afflicted her eyes, feet, and hands so she became paralysed.

A substantial ring with a box-shaped bezel set with a table-cut red spinel of deep purplish-red hue, the reverse of the bezel convex with chamfered ends. 6.93 grams, 24.30 mm overall, 17.05 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2 , USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)



Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12996-245986.

The box bezel is typical of both Spanish and Islamic goldsmithing traditions. The small pointed projection at the rear of the hoop, however, is not a common feature in Spanish rings but is a distinctive hallmark of Islamic goldwork — a form ultimately rooted in Middle Eastern traditions of the Sasanian, Fatimid, and Mamluk periods. This detail likely reached Spain through the transmission of techniques from the Middle East into Islamic North Africa, and subsequently into the goldsmithing repertoire of al-Andalus. These forms were adapted by Spanish goldsmiths to accommodate the tastes of a Christian clientele, reflecting the deep and enduring influence of Islamic craftsmanship in post-Reconquista Spain.