http://news.yahoo.com/medieval-poison-ring-uncovered-bulgaria-160632789.html (http://news.yahoo.com/medieval-poison-ring-uncovered-bulgaria-160632789.html)
I think stuff like this is just way cool. I imagine the bronze would have been quite a bit brighter back then.
You can just see the person filling this with what ever poison was popular at the time, then stoppering it with a tiny bit of matching sealing wax.
He goes to pour a goblet of wine, then, with a tiny movement, chips the wax out of the hole and dumps the contents of the ring into the cup. This is way sneakier than the hinged poison rings, since it looks like a solid piece of metal, with no apparent compartment.
Because of course nobles can't be seen to be murdering their dinner guests... or everyone would stop coming to dinner! :o lol
Still very interesting find.
What a beauty!