Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu

A silver figural ring by Mosheh Oved, circa 1940, the angular design modelled as a lamb, with smooth coat, its head downcast, with gold bead eyes, unmarked, ring size M½. £800-£1,200

The Polish-Jewish immigrant, Mosheh Oved (1885-1958), also known by his anglicised name Edward Good, was a charismatic and talented jeweller, sculptor, poet and writer. He came to London around 1902 and trained as a watch maker. Initially based in Fetter Lane, Holborn, he later moved to 1, New Oxford Street. In 1938 he become the owner of a celebrated Bloomsbury antique shop called Cameo Corner, in Museum Street, near the British Museum. By now, a world expert on cameos and a highly original jeweller, Oved was an eccentric character, often seen dressed in long flowing purple velvet robes, entertaining his customers (which included Queen Mary) with stories and anecdotes.
According to one story, whilst sheltering in the basement of Cameo Corner during the Blitz, Oved first began modelling his animal rings to steady his trembling hands. His first ring was a lamb, perhaps a symbol of the ultimate sacrificial lamb, made from the silver of Oved’s own cufflinks, after he learnt that a client’s son had been killed in action. Oved went on to make numerous anthropomorphic rings, mostly in silver, but some in gold, modelled as charming animals and birds and often displaying human characteristics.