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Caring for an Antique Ring

Leave the Care of an Antique Ring to the Professionals

I am looking for a little information which I didn't find here. I recently acquired a 4 pennyweight wedding band reputed to be 14K. It's 8mm wide. There is a strange 6mm wide band of a darker gold color (like a stripe) which goes around 99% of the middle section of the ring on the outside. Its surface appears to be rougher than the rest of the ring.

When I put the ring in a metal cleaner for gold, the dark band turned very dark - almost black. When I removed the cleaner, there was tarnish all over the towel. I did this several times with the same result. Is this an indication of base metal?

The rest of the ring looks like gold, which leads me to believe it's rolled gold or gold plated. There are foreign maker marks in the inside.

Thank you for any assistance!

Bonnie

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Get thee to an accredited jeweler, preferably one who deals in antiques, as soon as possible. I’m intrigued that you say the ring weighs 4 pennyweight (6.22 grams) because pennyweight has not been an official measure in the UK since the Weights and Measures Act of 1878.

DO NOT put any more chemicals on the ring. You’re correct that the tarnish caused by your gold cleaner indicates that the upper band is a base metal. It may be the original metal, perhaps copper or brass alloy, or it may have been plated with silver which has worn away with time.

The base metal in plated pieces can consist of copper, brass, “nickel silver” (50% copper, 30% nickel, 20% zinc), “Brittania metal” (97%, 7% antimony, 2% copper), or various other alloys.

The maker’s marks on the inside can usually assist an expert in determining the composition and approximate fabrication date.

I’m an “Antiques Roadshow” fan. It would be so neat to learn that you acquired a ring of historical value!

Please let me know.

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Hi Eileen,

Well, I've watched the Antiques Roadshow since the 1970s. I lived in England for 3 years (1978-1981). Now I'm in Holland and watch it faithfully on BBC 1. I've seen the American version of this show only once.

I've got someone else looking into this mystery ring, also in England. He's a metallurgy expert.

I've mailed him sketches of the markings inside the ring. I've had absolutely NO luck finding anything resembling these marks on the net. I'm pretty sure they are makers marks, since there is no indication of a gold mark.

I've got this fellow's curiosity fired up, so hopefully he may recognize some of the marks. The ring has been to a jeweler friend of mine (25+ yrs experience) who tested the gold as being 10K and the darker area as being base metal. He weighed it at 6.22 grams.

He said a ring of this size in 14K gold should weigh more than that. He also thought the markings were Swedish, but there's nothing on the Swedish Assay Office website the connect these marks to Sweden.

What's so strange about this ring is the wearing of the gold layer. It's almost precision - a distinct band of missing gold nearly all the way around the ring, same width all around. There's one tiny spot where there's no wear at all.

Almost like someone had something purposely sanded off of the ring. I have a photo of it , so I will try to send it to you. I've contacted the woman who sold it to me, and she was sold the ring as 14K. SO - she got her money back and is sending me a diamond ring (of my choice) of greater value than what I paid for this "gold" band.

She's also paying the postage to Holland. We both felt pretty silly, and she was embarrassed because she was trusting. She was also PO'd at the person who sold it to her. This person got it from someone else whom, it appears, believed the ring was gold because of the markings.

Are ya confused yet? LOL.

Anyway, look for another email from me with the photo of the ring. In the meanwhile, I'll let you know as soon as I hear something from across the pond. If you like, I can also make a sketch of these marks and mail them to you. Something for you to do in your spare time - haha!

Later!

Bonnie

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Hi Bonnie,

You're got my curiosity piqued too. Can you scan a sketch of the markings and email it to me?

Since the ring is only 10K rather than 14 and you don't know its provenance, it's probably not worth much. Plus, you already exchanged it, so what's the point? Still I'm curious ...

I really couldn't tell much from the photo. The resolution is too small. So when I enlarge it in Photoshop, it gets very pixelated.

A friend, whose mother recently died at 107 years of age, gave me a whole bag of "junk" costume jewelry. Some she wanted repaired.

The rest she thought I might be able to use in my jewelry making. I did a little research and took it all back to her.

She was just floored when I showed her a catalog photo of a very similar rhinestone set (broach and earrings) from the 50s that just went for $200 US.

There were about 10 such sets in the bag of "junk" in very good condition, as well as a couple of bracelets (which would be worth even more). The bag of "junk" is now on its way to New York for an expert appraisal.

Neat, huh? Hope you're happy with the diamond ring you exchanged for.

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