{"product_id":"untitled-aug27_14-17-27","title":"Vintage Bvlgari Monete Ancient Roman Coin Ring - Circa 1960s","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn exceptional early Bvlgari Monete ring dating to the 1960s, crafted in 18k yellow gold and set with an ancient Roman bronze coin dating to the 4th century AD. The coin is most likely an issue of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstantius II, circa A.D. 347–361, and likely from approximately A.D. 355–361\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The substantial gold mounting was made specifically around the ancient coin, framing it without altering its irregular original form. The contrast between the warm polished gold and nearly seventeen-hundred-year-old coin is exactly what makes these early Monete pieces so incredible.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBvlgari began incorporating authentic Greek and Roman coins into its jewelry in 1966, championed by Nicola Bulgari, himself an avid coin collector. The idea reached directly back to the ancient Roman tradition of wearing coins as jewels, but Bvlgari completely reworked it for the modern era. Rather than disguising or reshaping the coins, the house designed each mounting around the individual ancient piece, leaving its age, surface and history visible. The earliest Monete jewels were also engraved with historical information identifying the coins and the periods from which they came, a detail that became an important signature of the collection.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis ring comes from that earliest generation of Bvlgari Monete design. The ancient Roman coin is mounted low into the heavy gold surround with its wonderfully worn imperial portrait still visible, while the reverse of the setting carries the hand-engraved historical dating identifying the coin as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e4th–5th century AD\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Based on the surviving portrait and coin type, the piece is most likely associated with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstantius II, one of the sons of Constantine the Great, who ruled as Roman emperor from A.D. 337 to 361\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The ring is signed \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBVLGARI\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and is approximately a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUS size 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. A rare piece of early Monete and such a good example of what Bvlgari did best during this period: taking something genuinely ancient and setting it into bold Italian gold without taking away any of its history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kimberly Klosterman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49555205554432,"sku":null,"price":22000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0703\/6023\/6288\/files\/BFBF6BC5-69FC-4C58-9593-480A2330990F.jpg?v=1787859735","url":"https:\/\/ejmama.com\/products\/untitled-aug27_14-17-27","provider":"Estate Jewelry Mama","version":"1.0","type":"link"}