Men’s Rings

Over one thousand rings from Yves Gastou’s personal collection are beautifully displayed and photographed in this sumptuous book. Gastou deals in 20th century decorative arts from his Parisian gallery, but perhaps his most passionate undertaking is in building his collection of men’s rings. His collection is as diverse as it is large; from ancient Egyptian examples to gothic masterpieces, and religious examples to memento mori, bikers’ rings to an entire chapter devoted to curiosities, Gastou has built an all-encompassing treasury. In silver or gold, set with jewels or skulls, sober or extravagant, ritual or rebellious, these pieces bear the imprint of a taste, that of the insatiable gallerist freely appropriating the different periods, it seems unlikely that another assemblage will ever rival Yves Gastou’s fabulous collection.