Rare Gemstone Uncovers Trade Route Between Medieval Europe And Sri Lanka
The golden ring with a reddish-purple sapphire.
A medieval ring holding a rare sapphire points to a long-distance gemstone trade between Europe and Sri Lanka over 700 years ago.
The ring was found at today’s Pustý hrad (meaning “deserted castle”) above the city of Zvolen in Slovakia in 2001, during an illegal treasure hunt in the ruins of the former fortress. Only 22 years later the ring was handed over to the authorities.
The 18-karat golden ring, dating from circa 1300 based on similar ring designs, holds a reddish-purple sapphire gemstone with an estimated weight of about 2.00 carats. The ring is of high quality and sapphire was a valued gemstone at the time, as there are no significant deposits of this mineral in Europe. Wearing such a piece of jewelry must have symbolized great wealth and a high societal status.
Noémi Beljak Pažinová, Professor at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Nitra, Slovakia, and a team of archeologists and mineralogists analyzed the chemical composition and crystal properties to determine the gemstone’s possible origin.
Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum, which is composed almost entirely of aluminum oxide. Pure corundum is colorless, but trace elements like iron, titanium, chromium, gallium and vanadium give it colors like blue, yellow, red, green, pink, or purple. The most valued color varieties are blue (iron-titanium sapphire), red (chromium ruby) and pink (chromium rose sapphire).
A miner holding a single sapphire from Sri Lanka. They are typically found as loose crystals in … More
By analyzing the trace elements in the ring’s sapphire and comparing the results with sapphires mined worldwide, the team concludes that Sri Lanka is the most likely place of origin. The gemstone must have traveled by sea and land, shipped from Sri Lanka to India, traveling the Middle East and handed over to European merchants in Aleppo, modern northern Syria, or Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, Turkey. This long voyage, together with the rarity and beauty of sapphires, must have contributed to its high value.
Pustý hrad Castle was built in the late 12th century and served as the administrative center of the Zvolen County before becoming a significant Hungarian royal fortress. It is plausible that the ring was worn by a royal member or another high-ranking person, maybe even serving as a Bishops’ rings of office. An engraving on the sapphire shows a stylized lion, symbolizing strength, courage and royalty, but also an animal associated with Mark the Evangelist.
The study,”Archaeometric study of a unique medieval golden ring with a reddish-purple sapphire (corundum) gemstone from the Zvolen Castle, Slovakia,” was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.