17th century, English, size 8 1/2. 3.3mm band flat faced band. and particularly finely modeled bronze flower bud top. Burial in the churchyard brought you close to God, but space was limited and those nearer our hearts had priority over those whose names were forgotten. Graves were periodically dug up, and the bones removed to storage, making space for newcomers. It happened all over Europe, north to south, and no jewelry is preserved with the bones. It is our conclusion after decades of filtering through sparse information, that these rings were produced in England and recovered from graves of those who perished in the Great Plague of 1655-56 in London. By the English law, graves may be opened after 75 years and the buried were often replaced by more recent deceased. Crisp detail, lightly textured from burial and professionally refurbished with the 24karat gold overlay restored. Jewelry gift boxed with certificate of authenticity.