16th Century Bezoar Ring
The Cambridge Dictionary describes a bezoar stone thus:
"a solid mass found in the digestive system, especially of a cow, goat, or sheep, that was believed in the past to have magical powers:
Apparently a bezoar would counteract almost any poison."
The term "Bezoar” comes from the word “badzehr,” which is Arabic for “antidote”, and these weird gastrointestinal anomalies first came to Europe in the 12th century, introduced by Arabian doctors in the wake of the crusades. They quickly became highly prized for their amuletic powers... "apparently a bezoar would counteract almost any poison." Some were huge, larger than a grapefruit, but others - like this one - could be mounted in jewellery and worn close to the skin (affording maximum protection).
But they didn't just protect against poison. Bezoar stones - usually taken from goats or porcupines - were also 'known' to cure many illnesses including leprosy, measles, cholera, and depression. They were fantastically expensive, worth more than ten times their weight in gold, and thus reserved for only the wealthiest folk who wore them as symbols of status, good health, and to warn any potential assassins that they possessed magical protection.
Queen Elizabeth of England as well as Eric XIV of Sweden were known to wear rings inset with bezoars, but by the early 1600s they had fallen out of favour, partially on account of a somewhat macabre "proof":
...the theory was tested by surgeon Ambroise Paré in the 1500s, who debunked the idea that animal bezoars were antidotes or had healing properties.3 He did so by having a thief who was sentenced to death, receive a poison and then a bezoar, with the condition that if he survives, he would be able to go free. The thief died within 7 h of receiving the poison, and Paré concluded that the theory was false. [source]
This ring dates from the 16th century. The bezoar is set in silver and, quite unusually for a ring of its time, the setting is open backed allowing the stone's magic to flow down to the wearer's skin.
Era: 16th Century, circa 1500-1550
Ring size: O or 7.25 US
Head: 14.3mm by 12.0mm
Stone: Bezoar
Marks: None, tested as silver
Condition: Fair. Wear consistent with age and use, including to the surface of the stone. See images.
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[Last updated: January 2026]
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