Victorian Era God Save The Queen Enamel Ring
Rare commemorative Victorian Era gold ring. A single Gold miniature portrait medal of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria is set with Victoria on the front and Albert on the verso. The medal is wrapped with a swirling blue enamel ribbon with the anthem "God Save The Queen". The front side of the medal reads "Victoria Regina". A jewel likely made in celebration of the Royal wedding on the 10th of February 1840.
For hundreds of years, medals have been used to immortalize the actions of princes and emperors. Popular for the incorruptibility of the metals of which they are composed as well as the practicality of their production, they could be distributed in greater numbers than carved cameos or painted miniatures. They played an essential role in rewarding war services and in the signing of peace treaties, trade agreements, and the settlement of the terms of royal marriages, as is the case here. This ring commemorates the marriage of the young Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, celebrating the union of the royal houses of Britain and the German state.
Queen Victoria was the second longest reigning British monarch (1837-1901) to Queen Elizabeth II Who reigned from 1952-2022.
Size 6, cannot be resized. Slight enamel loss, consistent with the age and use.
Similar examples can be found in several British museum collections.