Lost Owl Cupid Intaglio Ring
An intaglio ring by Lost Owl. We chose a circa 1800 Georgian smoky quartz ring for this project - part of our Spells & Sigils collection of hand-engraved signet and posy rings. The smoky quartz displays a gorgeous peachy-brown hue, and it's set over foil to enhance its colour and brightness. We have added an intaglio carving to the large table facet: Cupid-Eros with his bow drawn, arrow poised to strike at some unsuspecting soul.
Cupid is the Roman god of love, desire, and attraction, often depicted, like we see here, as a cherubic baby with wings and a bow and arrow. He is thought to be the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty, and Mars, god of war, which we’d argue is some pretty cool lineage. The Greeks called him Eros (and his parents Aphrodite and Ares) and imagined him as a beautiful and fully grown young man. The bow and arrow that often appears in his iconography represents his source of power: anyone shot by Cupid’s arrow is filled with an uncontrollable desire. Although his role in myths is mostly complementary, often appearing in the presence of Venus and other love gods as a catalyst for people to fall in love, the major exception is the tale of Cupid and Psyche…
Once upon a time there were three princesses. The eldest two were lovely enough to be admired everywhere, but the youngest was so entirely beautiful that many in the kingdom gave up the cult of Venus and worshiped the young girl instead. Her name was Psyche. Venus, as a vengeful and jealous goddess, could bear no rivalry so summoned her son, Cupid, and told him to use one of his arrows to make Psyche fall in love with a pig. Ever the dutiful son, Eros set off on his mission but as he drew his bow he accidentally scratched his arm on the tip of the arrow, gazed on Psyche, and fell madly in love with her. A long story then ensues, long and winding with many-a-plot-twist. A story that forms the foundation of many Western fairy tales, whereby Psyche is carried off to a magical castle with an invisible retinue to serve on her; jealous sisters; and impossible tasks like sorting grains of rice. It does ultimately have a happy ending though, with the couple reconciling and Cupid granting Psyche immortality so they can be wed as equals. This, along with Cupid’s other tales, has created an association between the god and the theme that ‘love conquers all’, which has led to him becoming somewhat of an icon of Valentine’s Day.
Part of Spells & Sigils, our collection of hand-engraved signet and posy rings.
Era: Georgian, circa 1800
Ring size: Q 1/2 or 8.5 US
Head: 12.3mm by 9.7mm
Stone: Smoky Quartz
Marks: None, tested as 9ct gold
Condition:
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[Last updated: September 15th, 2025]
Resizing
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