The art of glyptics, or carving on colored precious stones, is probably one of the oldest known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an incised design, were made as early as the fourth and third millennia B.C. in Mesopotamia and the Aegean Islands. They display a virtuosity of execution that suggests an old and stable tradition rooted in the earliest centuries.

This exquisite intaglio seal is most probably a reproduction of a Classical intaglio. Ancient glyptics reached full bloom in the classical period. Gems of this time, with their profoundly humanistic approach, their precise outlines, the freedom and perfection of the composition and splendid quality of the stones, are true masterpieces. This genuine classical revival agate seal has been mounted in a modern 18 Karat gold ring.