English, Elizabethan, circa 1600

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By Virtue of the very fragility of the material used, ivory signets of the period are rare. An ecclesiastical ivory signet is in the British Museum dating to the 16th century and Illustrated by Dalton. For a stylistic comparison note also the English signet ring in the British Museum with a similar pearled border, dating to the late 16th century.

Gilbert, Earl of Shrewsbury 1552-1616 was created a knight of the garter in 1592.

RELATED LITERATURE
O. M. Dalton, The Franks Bequest: Catalogue of the Finger Rings, cat. British Museum, London, 1912, nos. 778 and 599