Dr. Sandra Hindman presents a late roman key ring

Worn by a wealthy Roman woman, this fashionable ring bears her name Homonoea in the letters pierced in the band. Set with an intaglio of a winged Victory, the bezel projects in imitation of Roman bronze key rings found throughout the Empire. Only a few such gold key-type rings with pierced decoration are known mostly in museums. The technique of pierced-work decoration is known in the Roman world under the name of “opus interassile,“ mentioned by Pliny in the first century A.D. in the evocation of a votive crown (Pliny, NH XII, 94). Archeological evidence indicates that the technique was widely employed for all kinds of fashionable jewelry from the end of the second century A.D. Technically, the pattern of the decoration had to be laid out with holes drilled before using a small chisel to open them. Too much pressure on the gold could lead to breakage. In this regard, the present ring was certainly made by an extremely skillful craftsman as it is a refined, high-quality example of the type.