c.1860 Victorian Signet Ring

A handsome c. 1860 Victorian signet ring, 15k gold, bearing a carved sardonyx with a heraldic crest intaglio, the shoulders in the form of coiling snakes. The crest rendered is illustrated in the 1860 edition of “Fairbairn’s Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland” (plate 126c, crest 15); it is described, “a cubit arm, in armour, erect, holding a spear in fend, point downwards”. The Fairbairn directory lists only one family represented by this crest: Omond of Scotland. Curiously, this specific crest design (made unique by the six ‘dots’ lining the armour) cannot be found in earlier or later editions of Fairbairn’s, suggesting its use was for a short duration only. Snake motifs, resurgent in jewelry design since the late Georgian era, reached new heights of sophistication during the 1840-60 decades. Various coiled snake designs for jewelry can be found in c. 1860 sketches by John Brogden, London, which are now preserved in the print collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (E.2:834-1986, E.2:477-1986, E.2:815-1986).
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