Unknown Maker, Dutch

During the early modern period, like today, jewelry fashioned out of precious metals and gemstones signified wealth and status. For Europeans of the time, these materials recalled the far-flung places of empire and were thought to bestow special powers. This Dutch ring is made of gold (associated with cleansing) and a form of yellow quartz called citrine (associated with warmth). Prized for its resemblance to the rarer topaz, most citrine is mined in Brazil. From 1630 to 1654, the Dutch maintained a colony in northeastern Brazil, where they still hold interests in mining, cattle farming, and other Brazilian industries today.