Floret Panel Banded Yemeni Agate Ring

The stone is a natural, untreated banded Yemeni agate. Its body is a very dark brown that turns purplish where light passes the rim, and through the centre runs a window of fine, straight bands in cream, white, amber and chestnut, laid down as the stone formed. The cut is a broad, low oval cabochon that keeps the banding flat and readable.

The 925 sterling silver mount is kept quiet: a smooth closed bezel, wide polished shoulders and a plain shank. The only ornament is a recessed rectangular panel on each shoulder, pierced with a row of small five-petal florets on a darkened ground.

A ring for someone who reads a stone the way others read a map.