help with a ring

[wankermitt]

i was hoping someone could help me identify what kind of ring this is. specifically if it is of any value. i posted a picture of the markings on the inside. those are the only markings. thanks in advance.

 

[gilfordberry]

Sure looks like gold. Don't you have a gold tester? If not, get one and learn how to use it. They are not infallible but most of the time pretty reliable. BTW, here in Southern California we find a lot of Mexican "gold" stamped 10k and 14k, and looking really good, that is not gold at all - it's brass or some other copper alloy. The markings in your ring are manufacturers hallmarks and an expert could tell you who made the ring from those marks (I'm no expert).

On the subject of gold testers, though, I have found enough jewelry to become a semi-professional restorer of jewelry - you'll need some small tools, files and various metal brushes, a good diamond tester (I recommend you get one that is a combination moissanite/diamond tester 'cuz moissanite will fool the regular diamond tester), a small refractometer, a chatham filter, a good ring sizer and rounding tool (to fix those smashed flat by feet and lawnmowers), etc. We don't find many old coins here but we do find lots and lots of clad and jewelry. Most of the jewelry is junk, of course, but every now and then you get a keeper. One of my buddies kept track of his finds a couple of years ago - in 2007 he found 77 gold rings. I didn't find nearly that many, but 2 or 3 a month is not unusual, especially if you hunt the beaches. As for clad - most people tend to dismiss finding nickels, dimes, and quarters as a waste of their time, but my wife and I together manage to put $200 - $300 in the bank every month from modern clad finds. That, of course, brings up another must-have tool, a good rock tumbler to clean those disgusting clad coins with.

Gil

 

[woodwizard]

to clean clad that is going to be put back into circulation I use a wire wheel on the bench grinder.it doesn't have to be fancy-all it has to be is recognizable-takes a few seconds per coin and uses a whole lot less electric and time.the ring take to a quality jewelry shop to have makers marks deciphered.agree lots of junk flooding themarket from foreign countries.

 

[wankermitt]

thanks for the help. i was hoping someone would be able to identify the hallmark on it. i have looked all over the interenet but couldn't find the exact marks that are on the ring. i am happy either way, a ring is a ring, real or not.

 

[Sandpiper]

Very hard to make out markings and color in photo, but looks like it could be french 18kt gold.

 

[wankermitt]

Yeah that's what I was thinking (hoping?). When researching the hallmarks, I noticed the eagle head signifies french 18kt gold. If you save the photo as a JPEG and open it with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer you can zoom up more on the markings. I couldn't even see the markings until I viewed it on my computer, that's how small they are.

 

[srf2112]

Hey gilfordberry you mentioned a gold tester, diamond tester and associated tools. I'd like to get set up to identify my finds better. Could you tell me what would all of those cost together, ballpark. Thanks.
HH
Scott

 

[oroh2o]

Slooooow down, before you jump into buying equipment you may only use occasionally. I have been finding 100 plus gold rings each year for awhile. I separate the 10k, 14k,18k, etc for selling as scrap. 90% of your finds will fall into this catagory. Your good finds should be taken to a reputable jeweler that you have developed a trust with. Pay for appriasals when needed.This is money well spent. I have a gold tester ($99), diamond tester ($129), a good loupe($20) and a tumbler for your clad coins. BTW, I have the uncanny ability to control the gold market. I shipped 6 oz. of gold on Wed. and gold dropped $21.00 per oz. today, lol Hope this helps..................L

 

[wankermitt]

yeah, not that i don't plan on or hope to finding more rings, i just don't expect to find so many that would necessitate buying a tester. it turns out a family friend is a jeweler, i just need to make it a point to bring the ring to him. thanks.