Roman carnelian carnelian bezel

Roman carnelian carving showing the profile bust of a Roman empress or noblewoman. It is possible to observe a small chipping in the lower left part that does not affect the carving of the piece. By the style and especially by the type of hairstyle, it can be dated to the late high imperial period, Antonine dynasty or severe dynasty, about II to IV century.
The smooth hairstyle with wavy fringe and ribbon with lower bun, as we can see in portraits of empresses such as Julia Maesa and Julia Mammea or Brutia Crispina and Annia Galeria to mention two empresses of each of the dynasties mentioned and whose hairstyles coincide with the one that carries the present entail.
Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony type quartz that acquires a reddish color due to its iron oxides. It is very used in seals because it has the curious quality of not sticking to the hot wax, so for sealing letters and leaving the seal was an ideal material, in addition to its high hardness that made it ideal for the realization of jewelry.
Measurements: 16,3 mm x 12,3 mm.