C. 1000-1500 AD. Crusaders period. A rare silver ring with circular hoop, heavy, broad band, and round applied plate bezel. The bezel, with scalloped edges bears an engraved double concentric six-pointed star motif, perhaps intended to depict the Star of Bethlehem. The star is picked out with niello decoration. 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, and may once have been worn by a faithful knight who travelled to the Holy Land during the Crusades. Excellent condition; wearable.Size: D: 17.97mm / US: 7 1/2 / UK: P; 12.9g; Provenance: Private collection of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s.