Rings: Accessories series

A fascinating historical overview of the evolution of ring design from the Middle Ages to today, illustrated with almost 200 rare and luxurious examples drawn from the V&A's collections

Rings are powerfully evocative pieces of jewelry, traditionally worn as symbols of love, loyalty, remembrance or faith. Focusing on the V&A’s world-famous collection, Rings tells the story of their evolution from sculptural gem-set bands worn in medieval times to Art Deco masterpieces, dramatic gemstone ‘rocks’ of the 1950s, and innovative works of art created by contemporary jewelers.

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Rings are powerfully evocative pieces of jewelry, traditionally worn as symbols of love, loyalty, remembrance or faith. Focusing on the V&A’s world-famous collection, Rings tells the story of their evolution from sculptural gem-set bands worn in medieval times to Art Deco masterpieces, dramatic gemstone ‘rocks’ of the 1950s, and innovative works of art created by contemporary jewellers.

Table of Contents:

Introduction • 1. 1200 – 1500 • 2. 1500 – 1700 • 3. 1700 – 1820 • 4. 1820 – 1900 • 5. 1900 – 1950 • 6. 1950 – Present

Rachel Church is a Curator in the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum with a special responsibility for the rings collection. She has published and lectured on jewelry and worked on the re-display of the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery. She has contributed to a number of V&A publications, including writing on gold boxes in The Gilbert Collection at the V&A (2009).