Javanese Gold Ring at Least 800 Years Old Goes on the Block

By Annie Davidson Watson | October 28, 2025

A piece of early Indonesian history will reenter the spotlight on Thursday, the second day of Woolley & Wallis’ Fine Jewellery sale, when the U.K. auction house offers an engraved gold ring from Java dating to sometime in the 8th to 12th century.

The jewel comes from the private collection of Pieter Rudolph Wolter van Gesseler Verschuir, a Dutch colonial governor on Java in the 1930s, and had belonged to his wife, Agnes (1882–1968). It is resurfacing after more than a century in his family’s possession, carrying a presale estimate of £1,500 to £2,000 ($1,900–$2,600).

Weighing a substantial 36 grams, the ring features a stepped hexagonal bezel engraved with the Sanskrit character śrī, associated with Dewi Sri, the Javanese and Balinese goddess of rice and fertility. In ancient Javanese belief, such rings were talismans of prosperity, fertility, and divine protection.

“The craftsmanship and spiritual symbolism embodied in this ring reflects the artistic sophistication of early Indonesian goldwork, where devotion and design were beautifully intertwined,” said Marielle Whiting, jewelry specialist for Woolley & Wallis, in a statement. “The exceptional provenance also adds to its value, and we anticipate wide interest.”

In 2022, a similar piece—a 33.75-gram Javanese gold śrī ring from the 7th to 12th century—was estimated around $3,800 to $6,400 (converted from 30,000 to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars) at Sotheby’s.

Agnes van Gesseler Verschuir, née Pownall, was born in the Dutch East Indies and became known for championing Javanese craftsmanship. Her husband, educated in Utrecht and Leiden, entered Dutch colonial service in 1904 and was appointed governor of Yogyakarta in 1929, during a pivotal era of rising Indonesian nationalism and evolving relations with the Javanese court.

(Photo courtesy of Woolley & Wallis)

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