Armill

Medieval survivals are vanishingly rare; the most famous pair is now divided between the Louvre and the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (illustrated), having once been in the Hermitage Museum.

These were found in the tomb of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Grand prince of Vladimir-Suzdal (d. 1174), in Vladimir, and may have been gifts from Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (r. 1152–90), who received an embassy from the grand-prince in 1165.

These are gold plates, decorated with cloisonné enamel, but despite the lavish materials the workmanship is far from perfect, and the inscriptions contain simple errors; they were perhaps commissioned in a hurry for a special occasion.

The Elizabeth II Armills were presented to the Queen by the governments of various Commonwealth nations and are single-piece round bracelets made of 22 carat gold lined with crimson velvet, with a concealed hinge and spring catch.

[5] The term "armilla" is used in the English Liber Regalis (probably 1382) to describe a stole, like the Byzantine imperial loros, but this is thought to be a confusion as to the meaning of the word.