Silver Ring Found in Backyard

[kthump]

Hello all,

This is my first post.. and my first legit find. (I have only spent about 3 hours detecting.)

I found this ring about 4 inches down, I have no idea how to tell if it is really silver or what time frame this ring is from.

I live in PA, and my house is about 105 years old.

http://img228.imageshack.us/i/frontview2.jpg/
http://img852.imageshack.us/i/silverview.jpg/
http://img831.imageshack.us/i/silverview2.jpg/


thanks for looking! and I appreciate any input!!

 

[mudpuppy]

Thats an awesome find! Looks old and handmade, try to see if a magnet will stick to it, that will tell you if its a precious metal or not..3 hours huh? you might be a natural born metal detector. I wish you well and many more finds...welcome to this grand obsession!

 

[kthump]

I just tried to see if it was magnetic, and it is not! so, i assume that is a good sign!

thanks for the idea!

 

[darrenb]

Great find! If it was 4" down, and came out of the dirt looking anywhere near as good as it looks in the pics, it is something good... cheaper stuff would have come out pitted, and rusted. Congrats, now go find more!!
HH
Darren

 

[Jerry-Wi]

Look on the inside of the ring and see if there is any writing. If it has the numbers .925 it is silver. If it says something like 14K, it is gold.

Jerry

 

[Occupant]

Nice find! I sometimes find 'silver' things and if it's not marked ( like .925 for coin silver ) it can be difficult to tell what metal it is without some chemical analysis. Silver will quickly tarnish in the presence of sulphur. I have a little bottle of 'flowers of sulphur' I picked up at the drug store. You can also find sulphur at the hardware or garden center. Mix a little with water to make a thin paste and rub it onto the inside of the ring. Cover with a bit of plastic food wrap to keep it from drying out. Let it set overnite, then look to see if there is a black tarnish forming. That will be silver sulfide, meaning that the ring is silver, or at least the surface of the ring is silver. It could always be plated, but if it is, there is probably a worn spot somewhere on the ring where the base metal will show thru. A careful examination with a magnifier will tell that tale.

The other way to tell if it is solid silver, without a test kit or cutting into the rig is to measure the specific gravity, but that requires a very precise scale to weight the ring in air and then immersed in distilled water.

The sulphur test works for me!

HH,
Roger

 

[DESERT DOG]

awesome find