‘Item. Annulus cum sapphiro quadrato aquoso.
‘Item. Annulus cum lapide oblongo qui vocatur turkoyse.
‘Item. Annulus unus cum viridi cornelino sculpto rotundo.
‘Item. Annulus parvus cum smaragdine triangulato.
‘Item. Annulus unus cum chalcedonio oblongo.’
The term lup may signify en cabochon, uncut.
In 1867 Mr. Binns exhibited a gold episcopal ring, at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, which he obtained at the shop of a jeweller at Worcester, and supposed to be the ring of Walter de Cantilupe, who presided over the see of Worcester from 1236 to 1266. In the ‘Archæologia’ (vol. xx. p. 556) is figured an amethyst ring, which was discovered at Evesham Abbey, on the finger of the skeleton of Henry of Worcester, abbot of that house, 1256-1263.
In the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Wells is a fine massive episcopal ring of gold, the date supposed to be the commencement of the twelfth century. It has a solid projecting bezel, set with an irregularly-shaped ruby, polished on the surface and pierced longitudinally—an oriental stone which has been used as a pendant.
At the Loan Exhibition of Ancient and Modern Jewellery at the South Kensington Museum, in 1872, Mr. R. H. Soden Smith contributed, amongst his fine collection of 140 finger-rings, a series of seven gold episcopal rings of the pointed or stirrup-shaped type; these are mostly set with sapphires, rudely shaped and polished. Date from the 13th and 14th centuries.
This engraving represents a gold episcopal ring, in the Londesborough Collection, with sapphire. French work of the thirteenth century.