1st century B.C. A gold ring comprising a round-section gold hoop and inset a later amethyst cabochon, intaglio portrait bust of a goddess looking right. Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 143, for type. 4.67 grams, 23.43 mm overall, 17.60 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12) (7/8 in.). Acquired 1970-2010. Collection of a late Japanese gentleman. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate no.11323-190881. The gemstone shows a portrait of a young girl, maybe the goddess Demeter or Ceres-Hecate-Artemis, with a portrait style which seems contemporary to the ring. Demeter and Hecate were linked to the afterlife cult, so it is possible that the ring was a funerary gift. [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website.]