DATE: Art Nouveau, c.1900

An awesome antique Stanhope ring dating from the Art Nouveau era, circa 1900. Although it's only in base metal and glass, this ring conceals a very cool secret - alluded to by nude figures that form the shoulders. If you hold the little hole in the side up to your eye, you can see a photograph of a naked lady. It was our friends @ericaweiner who introduced us to Stanhopes (they make a killer custom signet ring in partnership with one of America's last makers of micro-lens technology. Well worth checking out). Aka Stanho-scopes, they were invented by René Dagron in 1857 as a way of viewing microphotographs without the need of an expensive microscope. In 1862, Dagron displayed the devices at the Exhibition in London, where he got an "Honourable Mention" and presented them to Queen Victoria.

STONES 

Glass/Paste Stone

MEASUREMENTS 

Width at head: 10.4mm

Rise off finger: 9.7mm

Width of band: 3.3mm

WEIGHT 

8.1g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as base metal

CONDITION 

Good