"This book presents 35 medieval and Renaissance rings in a private collection. Dating between approximately 300 C.E. and 1600 C.E., these rings, assembled over nearly two decades, represent fine examples of most of the major types of rings created during this time period in Western Europe and Byzantium: marriage rings, seal rings, stirrup rings, tart mold rings, iconographic rings, merchant rings, gemstone rings, etc. Diana Scarisbrick has contributed an illustrated introduction on "Collecting Rings." Following the introduction, Sandra Hindman has written descriptions of each ring.

Organized chronologically, descriptions offer comparisons with rings in major public collections and situate each ring in its art-historical context often with comparisons to works of art in other media. A catalogue, written by Ilaria Fatone, presents comparisons, provenance, exhibitions, and bibliographies for each ring; where possible, the catalogue also includes a census of each type of ring from examples in public and private collections. A technical section by the conservator Angelique Laurent-di Mantova studies each ring, its material, fabrication, signs of use, and so forth. The contribution of this book, in addition to making known a collection of high-quality rings, lies in its art-historical observations."--BOOK JACKET.