EUROPEAN BETROTHAL RING, 16TH-17th CENTURY, SIZE 9 1/2 austrian 2mm rounded face band with

2mm rounded face band with broad heart shaped shoulders and circular bezel with a quatrefoil on four cardinal marks

The inside with two runic ciphers

size 8 with 3

Circular bezel with symmetrical circle and dot decoration

Rounded band

EUROPEAN BETROTHAL RING, 16TH-17th CENTURY, SIZE 9 1/2 austrian 2mm rounded face band withDuring the Renaissance, the act of committing to marriage took place as a formal ceremony with vows, considered sacred and unbreakable, exchanged. A ring was given by the man to the woman to bind the pledge and worn until the marriage. That practice is believed to derive from the custom of providing a brides price or dowry. This example is size 9 1 2 with raised lenticular bezel with flared shoulders. Worn and surface textured from use and burial.