BYZANTINE GOLD MONOGRAM RING. Ca. AD 500 - 700. A gold signet ring with a faceted, tapering hoop and a lozenge-shaped bezel engraved with a monogram arranged around a central cross, each arm of the cross terminating in a letter. The field is contained within a beaded border. For similar see: J. Bagot, El legado de Hefesto: A Memorial to a Private Collection of Ancient Rings and Glyptics, n. 600; British Museum Museum number AF.278 Size: D:13.3mm / US: 2 / UK: D; Weight: 1.4g Provenance: Private London collection; acquired in France in the early 2000s; formerly in a Swiss private collection formed in the 1980s and 1990s.