Gold, 9.74 grams; 22.74 mm. Internal 19.00 mm; US size 9.5, UK size S. Circa 3rd BC. Thick set solid band with tapered out stepping shoulders that connect to a large hexagonal bezel engraved with the bust of Aphrodite facing left wearing turreted crown. Her hair is dressed across the front of the crown and down the side of her face with curled ends, an image of Aphrodite often found on Greek coinage of this period. Ref: Victoria and Albert Museum Catalogue of Rings 1930, plate II. A rare and beautiful ring in extremely fine condition that was worn regularly by its previous owner. Ex K Thomas collection. This item is accompanied by an XRF ancient metal test certificate from Oxford X-ray Fluorescence Ltd.

Aphrodite was born of the sea foam near Paphos, Cyprus after Cronus cut off Ouranos genitals and threw them behind him into the sea, while the Erinyes emerged from the drops of blood. Hesiod's Theogony described that the genitals "were carried over the sea a long time, and white foam arose from the immortal flesh; with it a girl grew" to become Aphrodite. Aphrodite had no childhood: in every image and each reference she is born adult, nubile, and infinitely desirable. Aphrodite, in many of the late anecdotal myths involving her, is characterized as vain, ill-tempered and easily offended. Though she is one of the few gods of the Greek Pantheon to be actually married, she is frequently unfaithful to her husband. Hephaestus is one of the most even-tempered of the Hellenic deities; in the narrative embedded in the Odyssey Aphrodite seems to prefer Ares, the volatile god of war. She is one of a few characters who played a major part in the original cause of theTrojan War itself: not only did she offer Helen of Sparta to Paris, but the abduction was accomplished when Paris, seeing Helen for the first time, was inflamed with desire to have her-which is Aphrodite's realm.