I came across this Victorian crescent ring at Erie Basin about a year ago (actually, on November 20, 2008, to be exact – aren’t bookmarks cool??), and I’ve loved this motif ever since.

After some research, I learned that the crescent shape became popular during the Victorian era after the discovery of the Vault of Curium, which spurred an interest in all things Phoenician, including  the “fertile crescent.”  The Victorians, who loved some good symbolism, re-appropriated the crescent, or moon shape, to be a symbol for a honeymoon, and husbands often gave them to their new brides.