Art Nouveau 18K Gold Twin Serpent Ring — Sapphire & Ruby, Converted Scarf Pin, Circa 1910, Size 6

Two serpents coil around each other on this Art Nouveau ring, their bodies looping into a tight knot of 18k yellow gold, each head finished with a single gemstone — a deep, bright blue sapphire on one and a deep red ruby on the other. Snakes have stood for rebirth and eternity for thousands of years, and the goldsmiths of the Art Nouveau period returned to them again and again, drawn to the line of a body in motion.

The piece began life as a scarf pin. We converted it to a ring so it could be worn every day rather than kept in a drawer; the original pin findings, which carried double owl's-head marks, were removed in the process. Both stones are eye clean, with the minor surface wear of more than a century of history.