Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu to include the personal archive of Louis Osman, goldsmith and architect

A gold memorial ring for Sir Walter Scott, the domed broad band decorated with animals and birds amidst flowers and foliage, between reeded borders, with a secret compartment to the inside of the band enclosing remnants of a lock of hair, and engraved ‘The hair of Walter Scott Esq’, width of band 8mm, ring size R (leading edge). £800-1000

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was arguably one of the most prominent novelist of the 19th century. His hugely popular novels were primarily of Scottish historical themes, and include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor. He was also a playwright, poet and historian, and from 1820-1832 served as the President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
In 1818 Scott was tasked by the Prince Regent with conducting a searching for the ‘lost crown jewels - the honours of Scotland’, which, since the Act of Union in 1707, had been locked away and ‘lost’ in Edinburgh Castle. He succeeded and in 1820, the grateful Prince Regent created him Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet.

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The secret compartment in the ring is opened via a pressure point at the centre of one of the flowerheads.