Ring, finger ring

Gilt silver finger ring stamped with a flower basket motif on the plaque forming the bezel. It has openwork shoulders made up of three leaves and a wavy hoop. Made in Western Europe, it is a base metal version of the popular type of ornamental, gem set ring known as a ‘giardinetti’ from the Italian from ‘little gardens’.
The 18th century precious examples of these rings have ornamented shoulders and wavy hoops, as in this trinket version. The type was internationally popular in the second half of the 18th century and became part of the traditional repertoire of local jewellers supplying merchant-class customers in the 19th century.