A gem-set gold and enamel masquerade ring, the central mask ...

Hammer

£4,400

A gem-set gold and enamel masquerade ring, the central mask with inset old cut diamond eyes flanked with garnets to foliate shoulders, concealing a lover’s inscription‘ Plus que dit’ (More than said), Western Europe, likely Italy or France, size N, 2.3 grams

Masquerade balls became increasingly popular across Britain and Europe during the eighteenth century, providing a setting for romance, flirtation, and clandestine affairs. In response to this trend, masquerade rings emerged as fashionable accessories, often designed to conceal sentimental keepsakes, such as a lock of hair, serving as intimate tokens of affection and personal attachment

Comparisons: A closely related example is published in Anna Beatriz Chadour, Rings: The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, plate 852, p. 261. See also Beatriz Chadour Sampson, The Power of Love: Jewels, Romance and Eternity, fig. 20a–b, p. 73, for a similar ring bearing the inscription “Je cache mes amours”