c. 1000-1500 AD, Crusader Period. Silver gilt ring with a thick circular hoop and a octagonal bezel featuring an incised Star of Bethlehem motif. In the Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the Biblical Magi, and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears only in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask where the king of the Jews has been born. Herod, following a verse from the book of Micah interpreted as a prophecy, directs them to Bethlehem, a nearby village. The star leads them to the stable where Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where they worship him, and give him gifts. It is a symbol often depicted on rings and jewellery during the Medieval period. Good, wearable condition.Size: D: 17.35mm / US: 7 / UK: O; 9.6g; Provenance: Property of a London gallery, previously in old British collection formed in the 1980s.