Victorian Figural 'Perseus & Andromeda' Ring
Perseus & Andromeda told in gold and stone. English, circa 1870.
Perseus wears Hades' helm of invisibility, augmented by the feathered wings of Hermes, and with Athena's aegis - the Gorgoneion- slung over his shoulder. The intaglio is exquisite both in execution and form, taking on an ethereal, almost ghostly aura on account of the translucent chalcedony hardstone into which its carved. And two figures, two powerful women, naked above the waist, whom we must assume to be one - Andromeda - hold up that ethereal-pale intaglio of Perseus.
Perseus was Greece’s undisputed hero numero uno of the pre-Heraclean age. And incidentally (or perhaps not), he was both half-brother and great-grandfather of Heracles himself. Perseus was a demi-god, son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, and his exploits are literally legendary - from slaying the Gorgon Medusa to the rescue of Andromeda from Poseidon’s vengeance incarnate, the sea monster Cetus. The ancient Greeks though Perseus was an authentic historical figure, believing him to have founded Mycenae as his royal seat.
The etymology of his name is just as intriguing as the mythology itself, and naturally the two are intrinsically linked. Greek folk etymology related the word Perseus to their name for the Persian people (Pérsai), however the native name of the Persians is Pārsa (as in farsi, which remains the name of the Persian language today and has always been pronounced with an -a). “Herodotus recounts this story, devising a foreign son of Andromeda and Perseus, Perses, from whom the Persians took the name. Apparently the Persians also knew that story, as Xerxes tried to use it to suborn the Argives during his invasion of Greece, but ultimately failed to do so…
“Because of the obscurity of the name "Perseus" and the legendary character of its bearer, most [contemporary] etymologists presume that it might be pre-Greek; however, the name of Perseus's native city was Greek and so were the names of his wife and relatives. There is some idea that it descended into Greek from the Proto-Indo-European language. In that regard [Robert] Graves proposed the only Greek derivation available: Perseus might be from the Greek verb pérthein (πέρθειν) "to waste, ravage, sack, destroy", some form of which is familiar in Homeric epithets.”* Thus Perseus was, quite literally, known as ‘destroyer’ or ‘ravager’.
Dating from the mid-nineteenth century, this ring is crafted in 18 carat gold and the figural nature of the shoulders is a distinct nod to jewellery of the Renaissance era, showing that its creator was very much aware of his or her lineage as a goldsmith.
*[Source: wikipedia.org]
Era: Victorian, circa 1870
Ring size: L 1/2 or 6 US. Get in touch to discuss resizing
Head: 20.2mm by 15.9mm
Stone: Chalcedony
Marks: None, tested as 18ct gold
Condition: Great antique condition, light wear to the gold consistent with age
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[Last updated: 28th February 2026]
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