Age Unidentified - Lanka
Ruhuna - Stone Ring Mould

SPECIFICATIONS Material Stone Type Seal Height 44. mm Width 41. mm Thickness 10.5 mm Weight 31.47 gms Shape Rectangular Edge smooth

Obverse : Circular ring with central mound carved deep into the slab. Notches on either side. Deep vertical channel slightly fluted from top into the upper end of ring. The molten metal has toned the upper half.
Reverse : Two horizontal grooves separated by 18 mm across the slab extending to the sides over the rounded edge.

The very smooth stone slab has very flat obverse and a reverse which is rounded at edge. It was probably placed next to another flat slab and string tied across the grooves to hold the two slabs together. Molten metal is poured from the top along the vertical channel. After the metal was cooled and solidified the slabs were separated and the ring was lifted out with a tool using the small notches on either side of the circular ring. Illustrated on the right is the ring-mould with a lead ring which fits perfectly in it. The inner face of the ring is curved as in the mould. The upper surface is flat as would be the case if the facing slab attached was flat.

In the 1999 catalog by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe titled Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited , they are listed under Moulds. It is similar to (L.8-L.9) listed under Bead and Finger Ring Moulds. It was obtained from the same collector who provided most of the items for that book.

This is probably a mould for an ear-ring or pendant. The OBRW illustrates very similer Moulds (L3-L5) which had beem used to cast sets of silver Punch Mark coins and also Lakshmi Plaques.

The Seal was scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 150 dpi. It was obtained in 2001 December directly from farmer who found it via Mr A. Ratnayaka a collector in Katharagama, Lanka.