Apollo Art Auctions, located in London, focuses primarily on ancient works—Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Viking, and medieval artifacts.
What draws our attention to these auctions are, of course, the gem materials—whether loose polished stones, carved objects, or gem-set jewels.
These pieces are often thousands of years old—and that alone should be enough to make you stop and look.
Check this out: the craftsmanship in some of these items is remarkable. Look at what gem materials were available, what they were choosing to use in their jewelry, and what they considered worthy of being set and worn.
And the Apollo Auction catalog offers descriptions that show their expertise. Because these items are so rare, Apollo will often include a comparable—references to a similar piece, usually in a museum collection. That kind of context is invaluable.
You will not see the Kashmir sapphire, Burmese ruby, or Colombian emerald typical of other jewelry auctions. But what you will see in this auction is beautiful granulation work, hand made (of course) chain, beautiful red garnets, respectable emeralds, lapis, the occasional diamond, a surprising amethyst bullet, and Viking beads.
And then there’s the pricing—surprisingly affordable, even modest.
So as you look through the pieces we’ve selected from this month’s sale, consider the era in which they were created. With the tools they had at the time, it’s remarkable we have jewels at all.
Join us here as we look at just some of the ancient gem-related pieces that sold in the Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities auction.
EGYPTIAN HIGH KARAT GOLD DOUBLE SNAKE BRACELET WITH GARNETS
Sold £10,000
Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 332 – 30 BC.
Egyptian gold bracelet formed of two cojoined snakes, their scaled bodies coiling around the wrist, with the lower sections united by a double knot beneath a central setting with a garnet cabochon. The terminals modelled as snake heads with garnet eyes.
Size: 79.6mm x 86.6mm; Weight: 66g
GREEK HIGH KARAT GOLD AND GARNET EARRINGS WITH SPHINXES
Est. £3,000 – £6,000
Ca. 200 – 1 BC.
A matched pair of gold earrings, each with a winged sphinx seated on a rectangular plinth with a frieze of tongues. The creature is modelled with a female head, the body adorned with coiled wire ornaments and fitted at the flanks with circular cells for insets, with a wing rising behind the back. The head of each sphinx is surmounted by a circular plate centred on a garnet cabochon within a ribbed border, and above a teardrop-shaped garnet in a serrated case ending in a loop. The ear hoop is flattened with a twisted section at the centre, on both faces.
Size: 42-46mm x 34-36mm; Weight: 10.9g
ROMAN HIGH KARAT GOLD NECKLACE WITH CAMEO OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Sold £2,000
Ca. AD 50 – 200.
A gold necklace formed as a chain of double circular links with a hook-and-loop clasp, suspending an oval pendant in a collet with a twisted edge, set with a cameo carved with the head of Alexander the Great in the guise of Herakles, shown in left profile wearing the Nemean lion skin.
Size: 200mm x 19mm; Weight: 13g
HELLENISTIC HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH CARNELIAN INTAGLIO OF A LOCUST
Est. £3,000 – £6,000
Ca. 300 – 200 BC.
A gold ring with a broad, tapering hoop supporting an oval bezel plate with a raised oval collet set with a carnelian intaglio engraved with a locust shown in profile upon a sprig of wheat.
Size: D:14.68mm / US: 3 1/2 / UK: G 1/2; Weight: 10g
ROMAN JULIO CLAUDIAN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH AGATE CAMEO OF YOUNG JULIUS CAESAR OR AUGUSTUS
Sold £2,000
Ca. 100 BC – AD 100.
A gold ring with a broad oval bezel plate above tapering shoulders and a plain flat-section hoop, the bezel set with an oval agate cameo in a narrow mount. The cameo is carved with a left-facing portrait bust of Julius Caesar or Augustus.
Size: D:18.14mm / US: 8 / UK: P 1/2; Weight: 9.5g
LARGE HELLENISTIC HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH CARNELIAN INTAGLIO OF OMPHALE
Est. £12,000 – £20,000
Ca. 200 – 1 BC.
A large gold ring with a broad, tapering hoop expanding to an oval bezel plate, the mount formed with stepped collars and an outer beaded border. Set with an oval carnelian intaglio engraved with Omphale standing in contrapposto, holding the club of Herakles, with the skin of the Nemean lion suspended from the arm, on a groundline.
Size: D:19.35mm / US: 9 1/2 / UK: S 1/2; Weight: 44g
RARE BYZANTINE HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH EMERALD
Sold £1,300
Ca. AD 500 – 700
A gold ring with a D-section hoop expanding at the shoulders, incised with linear motifs and punched dots, then narrowing to a short circular collar supporting a high crown bezel set with a square-cut emerald.
Size: D:20.37mm / US: 10 5/8 / UK: V; Weight: 11g
STUNNING BYZANTINE BISHOP’S OPENWORK HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH CROSS AND AMETHYST CABOCHON
Sold £6,500
Ca. AD 500 – 700
A gold ring with a tall bezel framed by beaded wire and filled with openwork scrolls enclosing a granulated cross, centred by an amethyst cabochon. The shoulders and shank with matching openwork panels within beaded borders, the hoop broad and plain within.
Size: D:16.71mm / US: 6 1/4 / UK: M; Weight: 12g
ROMAN HIGH KARAT GOLD OPENWORK RING WITH INSCRIBED SARDONYX
Est. £3,000 – £6,000
Ca. AD 300
A gold ring with a rounded hoop supporting a rectangular bezel plate, framed by an openwork radiating border. The bezel is set with a sardonyx plaque with a two-line inscription.
Size: D:18.34mm / US: 8 1/4 / UK: Q; Weight: 7g
RARE PTOLEMAIC CARNELIAN INTAGLIO OF PTOLEMAIC RULERS IN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING
Sold £2,000
Ca. 100 BC – AD 100.
A gold ring with a broad oval bezel plate above tapering shoulders and a plain flat-section hoop, the bezel set with an oval agate cameo in a narrow mount. The cameo is carved with a left-facing portrait bust of Julius Caesar or Augustus.
Size: D:18.14mm / US: 8 / UK: P 1/2; Weight: 9.5g
LARGE VIKING EASTERN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH AMETHYST CABOCHON
Sold £3,300
Ca. AD 700 – 1200.
A gold ring set with an oval amethyst cabochon in a high collet with four rounded knops at the cardinal points. The bezel mount is chased with foliate scrollwork around the stone, continuing onto the shoulders in elongated leaf sprays. On each shoulder, the upper hoop is embellished with a sequence of almond-shaped motifs.
Size: D:17.12mm / US: 6 3/4 / UK: N; Weight: 12g
SUPERB BYZANTINE HIGH KARAT GOLD CROSS PENDANT WITH EMERALDS, GARNET AND PEARLS
Sold £5,000
Ca. AD 400 – 500.
A fine and rare gold cross pendant of equal-armed form, each arm set with an emerald in a raised collet, the centre with a circular mount holding a garnet cabochon. Between the arms are four pearls. Three suspended drops hang from the lower terminals, comprising a central pearl and a garnet drop to each side. A hinged suspension loop rises from the upper arm. Superb, wearable example.
Size: 65mm x 45mm; Weight: 18.3g
SUPERB RENAISSANCE HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH ORIGINAL DIAMOND INSERT
Sold £6,000
Ca. AD 1550 – 1650.
A gold ring with an original diamond insert, a round hoop decorated with incised phytomorphic motifs alternating with flowers. It is believed that the clarity of the diamond is VS 1, and the colour is H
Size: D:14.68mm / US: 3 1/2 / UK: G 1/2; Weight: 2.4g
EGYPTIAN AMETHYST SCARAB IN HIGH KARAT GOLD SWIVEL RING
Est. £1,200 – £2,000
Late Period, Ca. 664 – 332 BC.
A carved amethyst scarab with incised wing cases, a small head and clypeus, the underside plain. Mounted in a possibly later gold swivel ring with a rounded hoop and three collars.
Size: D:13.3mm / US: 2 / UK: D; Weight: 7.8g
ROMAN CARNELIAN INTAGLIO OF AN EROTIC SCENE IN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING
Sold £3,200
Ca. 100 BC – AD 50.
One of six erotic scene intaglios, this oval carnelian intaglio engraved with an erotic scene, with a nude couple standing in profile, the male figure on a short groundline and the female with one leg raised against his hip, her arms clasped about his neck. Set in a possibly later gold ring with a broad, oval bezel cell and plain, tapering hoop.
Size: D:17.53mm / US: 7 1/4 / UK: O; Weight: 7g
HELLENISTIC HIGH KARAT GOLD PENDANT WITH AMETHYST
Sold £320
Ca. 300 – 100 BC
A gold pendant set with a tapered amethyst drop in a circular mount with a plain upper plate, the collar and suspension loop decorated with granulation and twisted wire scrolls.
Size: 20mm x 8mm; Weight: 1.4g
BACTRIAN LAPIS LAZULI AND GOLD NECKLACE
Sold £500
Ca. 1st millennium BC
A double-strand lapis lazuli and gold necklace. The strands are composed of drop-shaped and barrel-shaped lapis beads with gold spacer beads at intervals, secured by a hook-and-eye fitting.
Size: 225mm x 30mm; Weight: 60g
RARE PTOLEMAIC CARNELIAN INTAGLIO OF PTOLEMAIC RULERS IN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING
Sold £4,400
Ca. 332 – 30 BC.
A carnelian intaglio engraved with a double portrait of Ptolemaic rulers, showing two superimposed mature male profile busts to the right, the nearer with short curling hair bound with a fillet and the rear with the hair drawn back, mounted in a possibly later gold ring with a broad oval bezel plate, a plain collet, tapering shoulders, and a flat-section hoop.
Size: D:19.15mm / US: 9 1/4 / UK: S; Weight: 20g
NEO-CLASSICAL HIGH KARAT GOLD CAMEO BROOCH PENDANT WITH FEMALE BUST AS CERES
Sold £500
Ca. AD 1700 – 1800
A hardstone cameo carved with a left-facing bust of an empress as Ceres, with a diadem above the brow, a veil drawn over the hair, and a sheaf of wheat rising above the crown. It is set within a plain gold mount, with suspension loops at the top and bottom and a pin fitting at the reverse.
Size: 65mm x 50mm; Weight: 28.7g
LARGE COLLECTION OF EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AMULETS OF SONS OF HORUS
Est. £3,000 – £6,000
Ca. 664 – 332 BC.
A collection of 29 faience amulets of the four Sons of Horus: jackal-headed Duamutef, baboon-headed Hapi, falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, and human-headed Imsety, each a flat standing figure in profile, pierced for attachment at the head and feet. Framed.
LARGE GROUP OF VIKING PERIOD GOLD, PARCEL-GILT AND HARDSTONE JEWELLERY
Est. £1,500 – £3,500
Ca. AD 1000 – 1200
A large group of jewellery elements, including four gold beads, each of barrel form with twisted-wire median bands and dense granulation arranged in star-like panels around the perforations; a pair of rosette appliques, each with concentric collars of granules around a central polygonal cabochon and bronze backing strip; a set of parcel-gilt silver appliques comprising a pair of crescentic mounts and a pair of quatrefoil mounts, each edged with twisted wire and decorated with granulation; a pair of faceted polygonal banded agate beads; four further parcel-gilt silver lunate mounts with twisted-wire borders and triangular fields of granules; and a mixed assemblage of glass and stone beads and bronze flat pendants.
EGYPTIAN BLUE FAIENCE HEART SCARAB
Sold £2,400
New Kingdom, Ca. 1550 – 1069 BC or later.
A blue faience heart scarab with a broad, rounded back and a flat underside. The head has a central raised ridge extending from the front to the prothorax, flanked by incised lines marking the separation of the clypeus and the eyes. The wing case is outlined with a deep central groove and two lateral divisions, forming symmetrical wings. The legs are indicated along the sides, with the front pair extending slightly forward and the hind limbs curving inward towards the body.
Size: 48mm x 31mm; Weight: 26g
EGYPTIAN RED AMBER FIGURINE OF A MAN WITH A WIG
Est. £300 – £600
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 664 – 30 BC.
A red amber figurine of a standing man with arms held close to the body, the head with a stylised face and a wig. The figure is supported by a flat back pillar with a suspension hole and set on a rectangular base.
Size: 28mm x 9.7mm; Weight: 1.72g
EGYPTIAN LAPIS LAZULI FIGURINE
Sold £280
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 664 – 30 BC.
A lapis lazuli figurine of a lioness-headed deity, standing on an integral rectangular base with one leg advanced, bare-chested and wearing a pleated kilt, with a suspension loop above the head and a supporting pillar at the back.
Size: 37mm x 9mm; Weight: 5g
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