Fig 1. The ring of Hürrem Sultan from “The Magnificent Century” series
They say that fairy tales are for babies, the best way to spend the evening with mom and a great sleeping pill for restless babies. But is it so? And if so, why did millions of people every week stuck to the TV screen to immerse themselves once again in a luxurious oriental tale about a sultan and his red-haired slave girl? Why for years crowds of women (and men too, let’s be honest) discussed the twists and turns of the fates of the beautiful Hürrem, the formidable Suleyman and the sultan’s harem?
Of course, the series “The Magnificent Century” – not quite a fairy tale, and is based on real events. But very much the plot of these real events resembles the story of Cinderella, mankind’s favorite all-time love story of a beautiful prince and a poor girl. True, in the European fairy tale about an unfortunate orphan symbol of this love was a crystal slipper, and in the Eastern – the ring of Hürrem Sultan, which Suleiman gave his red-haired concubine Roksolana.
The ring from the TV series
The legendary ring of Hürrem viewers saw already in the first series of “The Magnificent Century”. And from that moment his story is closely intertwined with the fate of Roxolana herself. Silver ring with a huge pear-shaped gemstone framed by white crystals became the first gift of Suleiman to his beloved, his recognition. Many viewers are interested in what is the name of the oriental stone in Hürrem’s ring. This mysterious gem is an emerald, and the stones framing it are transparent zircons.
Fig 2. Suleiman presents the ring to Hürrem Sultan
The symbolism of the ring is interesting. Thus silver in combination with emerald acquires powerful protective properties (remembering the morals of the harem, there is no doubt that Suleiman wanted to protect his beloved from his intrigues and other misfortunes), and the shape of the central stone resembles a stylized tulip – a symbol of power in the Ottomans. It is not surprising that in the future, according to the plot of the series and its sequels, the ring Hürrem Sultan became not only a talisman of the Ottoman rulers, but also an attribute of their omnipotence.
The history of the ring in the series “The Magnificent Century”
Passions around the emerald ring in the series unfold from the very beginning. In the first series, the viewer sees Suleiman at work on it, from which he is distracted by Mahidevran. Sultansha wants to get the ring immediately, but Suleiman replies that the jewelry is not yet finished. Such an episode could well take place in reality – the Sultan was really fond of jewelry art and from under his hands came out a lot of jewelry. And this means that the ring Hurrem, the story of which is shown in the series, may well have a real background.
In the future, the ring falls on the eyes of Hürrem, and she asks her beloved for whom it is for. And does not get an answer. The most touching scene in the series occurs when Suleiman rescues his beloved from prison and presents her with the ring. Of course, Mahidevran is furious and tries to take possession of the jewelry. Because of the rivalry between the two women, the first victim of the ring appears – an innocent servant girl.
The story of the ring continues throughout the seasons of “The Magnificent Century”. Hürrem’s ring is the main participant of the most touching episodes of the series, where the lovers are away from each other or in quarrel, but dream of reunion.
In the last season, the viewer sees how the story of the all-powerful Sultaness Hürrem ends, her earthly journey. But the story of the ring does not end. Hürrem asks to bury her with the ring, but this does not happen, and it continues to adorn the thin fingers of the following sultans of the period of the Ottoman Empire, which is commonly called the Female Sultanate.
History of the real ring
Each of the fans of the series “The Magnificent Century”, from series to series, watching the vicissitudes of the fate of the emerald ring, wondering whether there was a real ring of Hurrem Sultan? And what was it really like? After all, it is impossible not to notice that the ring on the finger of Meriem Uzerli, and after and Vahide Gurdem changes. At first the viewer sees a ring where the emerald is framed by one row of transparent stones, but in the third season it is surrounded by two rows. And the center stone itself looks smaller and is placed higher.
Fig 3. Hürrem’s ring with emerald and zircons in two rows
Fans of the series come up with different versions that explain the changes in the appearance of the ring on the actresses. But the explanation is much simpler. Jewelry for the series – really jewelry masterpieces, not costume jewelry. They are custom made by a Turkish brand, which reserved the right to sell them. After the success of the series, the original ring was sold, and the jewelers made a new one. However, once the ring of Hürrem Sultan was changed because the old one did not fit the size of the new actress.
As already mentioned, the “serial” ring sultansha with a giant emerald – just a speculation of the authors of “The Magnificent Century”, a symbol that holds the attention of the viewer. And the existence of a genuine ring of Hürrem is doubtful. Then what was the source of inspiration for the creators of the love story of the mighty sultan to the beautiful slave girl, whom his passion made the most powerful woman of the Ottoman Empire?
The authors of the series before filming must have spent a lot of time in the museum of Topkapi Palace, where some of the personal belongings of Hürrem are located. The exposition of the sultansha is surprisingly small – the golden sealing wax with feathers and a hairpin for a turban, headbands embroidered by Hürrem herself, clothes and some other items have been preserved. But the scriptwriters were inspired not by them, but by the Kashikchi diamond – the “Spooner’s Diamond” – one of the most famous jewels in the jewelry world.
Fig 4. The 86-carat Kashikchi diamond (Spooner’s Diamond) framed by small diamonds
The transparent cut diamond, which is on display in the Treasury Hall of Topkapi Palace, has a pear-shaped (like the emerald in Hürrem’s ring) shape, is set in silver and framed by 49 diamonds in two rows. Its mass is 86 carats. It is one of the largest diamonds in the world. Like many other large gemstones, this one also has an ominous reputation. The Spooner is said to bring bad luck – most of its owners and possessors have been put to death.
But most interesting of all are the legends that shroud the origin of the “Spooner”. The most popular one is the one that says that the stone was found in a pile of garbage by a certain poor man, and he exchanged it for spoons. Then the diamond the size of an egg came to a jeweler – the master bought it for only 10 acce. Sultan Mehmed IV became interested in the diamond and ordered the stone to be cut and ordered that it should never leave Topkapi Palace.
Another legend says that the “Spooner” was bought by a French military man and taken out of India, after which it went to Napoleon’s mother. She, in order to save her son in exile, sold the jewel to a Turkish aristocrat, and then, after a series of bloody events, the diamond ended up in the Topkapi treasury.
Ring as a custom-made ring of Hürrem Sultan
But let’s return to the oriental fairy tale, which was so skillfully embodied on the screen by the creators of “The Magnificent Century”. It was they, in fact, who created the legend of the ring of Hurrem Sultan. And it does not matter whether it actually existed or not – the jewel on the TV screen mesmerizes with its exotic luxury, elegance and oriental charm.
Many female viewers would like to buy a ring like the ring of Hurrem with a green stone – so mesmerizing was the image of the Turkish Cinderella. But where to find it? You can buy inexpensive costume jewelry, which will not last long, and you can order a genuine jewelry masterpiece made of white gold and get not just an original piece of jewelry, but a real family heirloom, which you will eventually pass on as an heirloom, as the heroines of the series did.
