Appearances can be deceptive
Take these pieces of antique jewellery, nothing special you would say. And we would be the first to agree. But they do have something special—they are so-called poison rings and bangles. Jewellery like this (mostly rings) have been used throughout history to carry perfume, locks of hair, devotional relics, messages, and other keepsakes, and even on very rare occasions, poison.
It is thought that this type of jewellery originated in the ancient days of the Far East and India, where it replaced the practice of wearing keepsakes, talismans, and other items in pouches around the neck. The practicality of these poison rings led to their spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean before reaching Western Europe in the Middle Ages. By then, the rings were also part of the “holy relic trade.”
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