Size: 7 (can easily be adjusted) Weight: 17.3 grams Material: 18k yellow gold Notes from the Curator The zoomorphic ram's head ring as a sculptural form in gold emerges most powerfully from the mid‑twentieth‑century Hellenistic revival, when makers in Greece in the 1960s fused ancient motifs with bohemian modern sensibility, and Italian ateliers pursued similarly sculptural animal themes in high‑karat gold. The ram represented strength and virility in the Classical age, and the golden‑fleeced ram Chrysomallos, sacrificed to Zeus, remained a talismanic subject for goldsmiths inspired by archaeological digs and museum holdings. The visible green enamel on this example—running along the neck and body of the ram in small roundels or linear bands—signals the decorative hand of an Italian or Eastern Mediterranean workshop active during the 1960s through early 1980s, the golden age of colorful enameled zoomorphic jewelry. A ram's‑head pendant may have served as an exotic, "Oriental" magical amulet or talisman of protection, and rings rendered in this three‑dimensional format, with the creature's spiraled horns and alert gaze captured in sculptural detail, carry that ancient symbolism into everyday wear. At 17.3 grams, the piece occupies a satisfying middle ground between delicate figural work and the bold statement cocktail rings of the period, offering substantial presence without sacrificing articulation in the engraving and enamelwork.