The bezel of this gold ring is octagonal, and shows a standing Archangel holding a cross/sceptre in his right hand and a globe in his left. The other face of the revolving bezel shows St Thekla flanked by lions. The cryptograms or coded messages that decorate the thickness of the bezel are abbreviated symbols for Christian prayers. The fact that at least one of the major images was always hidden when the ring was worn, and the cryptic nature of the inscriptions, suggest that the ring had an amuletic function, warding away the evil powers that were believed to assail mankind.
