This fine early 20th century emerald and diamond ring was given by the renowned French pianist Vlado Perlemuter (1904-2002) to his companion Joan Booth during the course of their friendship. The Vlado Perlemuter Scholarship was set up by Joan Booth upon his death, and in his memory.

Vlado Perlemuter was an exceptional pianist. In 1915, aged just 10, he was accepted by the Paris Conservatoire and went onto become one of the leading exponents of Maurice Ravel's music. In 1929 Perlemuter played all of Ravel's complete piano works in two public recitals attended by the composer, a feat he repeated once in 1987 at London’s Wigmore Hall to mark the 50th anniversary of Ravel’s death and secondly at the age of 89, with a valedictory recital at the Victoria Hall in Geneva

Perlemuter's international career spanned over seventy years in which time he recorded the entire piano works of Ravel, as well as those by Chopin, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Fauré for Nimbus Records, as well as a complete Mozart sonatas for Vox Records.