Gold signet ring of Shoshenq

This massive gold ring is of a shape common for such rings in the Late Period, a shape which more or less totally replaced the earlier stirrup-shaped type. The lozenge shaped bezel is so thick that the back had to be cut away to accommodate the finger of the wearer; the shank and the bezel were made in separate molds and joined together. It is incised with the name of Shoshenq and his title “Chief Steward of the divine adoratrice.”

Late Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664-525 BC. Now in the British Museum.