One ancient Roman ring features an image of Cupid and is older than cleric St Valentine, who lived from 225 to 273 AD.
The ring – dating back to the 2nd century AD – is carved from rock crystal and set in a modern 18ct gold band.
The item has an estimate of £3,000 for when it heads under the hammer on 5 Feb, as reported by Whats The Jam.
A selection of the ancient Egyptian and Roman rings. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)
Meanwhile, the oldest ring in the haul dates back by 3,300 years, from Ancient Egypt.
The square-shaped turquoise-coloured tablet shows Egyptian goddess Isis suckling Horus.
The ring, which has a guide price of £1,200, was made around 1300 BC and features hieroglyphs and a shank in the shape of a lotus flower.
And a third, three-coloured cameo ring, carved with the profile of Athena on a gold rub-over setting, is forecast to fetch £3,200.
A duo of rings, made in Roman times and including a 2nd/3rd-century AD carnelian intaglio of Fortuna dress, are due to be snapped up for a whopping £1,500.
A selection of the ancient Egyptian and Roman rings. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)
Lastly, a branded agate intaglio engraved to the centre with a hippocampus, turned into a ring in the 19th century, is expected to go for £900.
The rings are on offer through Sloane Street Auctions, London.
The auctioneer’s owner Daniel Hunt said: “These stunning rings are surely among the most thoughtful and stylish love tokens that you could think of for Valentine Day gifts.
“It’s astonishing that such uniquely crafted items with so distinguished a history can be had for so little.”
3rd century AD Roman carnelian intaglio dress ring depicting a figure holding an olive branch. Estimate £600-800. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Pictured: 3rd century AD Roman carnelian intaglio in a 17th century setting, showing a figure holding a scorpion. Estimate £600-800. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Diamond and gem-set cross pendant from the 1980s. Estimate £35,000-40,000. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Diamond and gem-set cross pendant from the 1980s. Estimate £35,000-40,000. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Circa 1700 cameo dress ring carved with the profile of Athena, in a later 19th century yellow gold rub-over setting. Estimate £2,800-3,200. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)17th/18th century hard stone cameo ring depicting the profile of a young man within a yellow gold setting. Estimate £1,500-2,500. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Egyptian, A faience ring, c.1300 BC. Estimate £800-1,200. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Early 17th century gold and garnet intaglio ring. Estimate £600-800. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)2nd century AD Roman carved rock crystal depicting Cupid, set in a modern 18ct gold ring. Estimate £2,000-3,000. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Fashioned during the Blitz to help the jeweler keep his hands steady, this very rare gold stylised anthropomorphic animal ring by Mosheh Oved has a guide of £6,000-8,000. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Roman banded agate intaglio engraved to the centre with a hippocampus, later mounted as a ring in the 19th century. Estimate £700-900. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)Carnelian intaglio in a yellow gold setting carved with Cupid gazing upon the trophies of war. Estimate £600-800. (Jam Press/Sloane Street Auctions)
