Featured Odd mark on eternity ring

At a car boot sale I picked this ring up thinking it was silver and the seller said it was. However I couldn’t find a mark on it even though I searched high and low. Eventually I stumbled over what looks like a hand etched 18 ct hidden amongst the decoration on the side. I looked at it for ages thinking my eyes were deceiving me but it’s there. I didn’t believe it so acid tested it and much to my surprise it tests positive although I’ve only got 9ct acid so can’t be positive it’s 18ct.
How unusual is this to have hand etched carat mark?. Was there a time when this was common?.There’s no proper hallmark. It’s telling me it’s quite old and has had a hard life so is sadly probably scrap unless you tell me otherwise.
Thanks for looking

 

That sure looks like an 18k mark! The poor thing was rode hard and put away wet as the saying goes.

 

It depends on what you consider to be "old",the eternity ring was developed by De Beers in the 1960's. History says there could be thousands of pieces of jewelry which were never hallmarked in the UK.The amount of wear on the side of the ring is very possible in even a 10 year period with 18K when rubbing against another ring.

 

I think someone wore it for donkeys years. Probably never took it off no matter what they were doing by the wear on the stones.

 

Really that recently?!. Don't know why but I thought they were an earlier style although I admit to not really ever having considered when the style was introduced. What I'm fascinated by though is the unusual 18ct mark or are they common but I've just not seen one?

 

Detroit Free Press
01 Aug 1926

 

Well before!!! I have my grand mother's she got it in the 1920s.

Jivvy! Perfect search result!

 

I'm such a softy it doesn't feel right to scrap something that was worn so much it must have been cherished. That's why I will never make my fortune!.

 

I agree, eternity rings were already around in the 19th century even.

I think this cutie is gold with the stones (paste?) set in silver to give them more sparkle than they would have in yellow gold. That was done until the introduction of white precious metals like white gold and platinum.
Which means the ring could be 19th century.

You are not the only one who sees its charm. I have made some money on a similar ring, also gold and silver eternity, one stone missing. The buyer was very happy with it.

Btw, didn't the UK also have 13ct gold in the past? The 8 could be a 3.

 

I've a very similar, unmarked but gold one, bought new in the 70s. They do wear.

 

It could well say 13ct. I'll investigate.
I assumed it said 18 but as we all know assumptions are the mother of all **** ups!
I'm confused now though about what it's likely to be made of?. It's a totally silver colour with no yellow gold colour or meeting of two types of metal so I was assuming (there we go again) that it was white gold?. The white tests as gold. Are you thinking some of the white metal may be silver?.
I've got another similar ring that clearly has a gold band with silver set on top of it which is I think what you may be meaning?. I'll get a photo. They came together. The other one is clearly marked 9ct&Silver'.
You are right, another buyer may like it as it is especially if it does have some age to it.
Do you think this one is a similar era too then?.
All paste, sadly no diamonds!

 

You are clever (again)
13ct (and 15ct) came in in 1854 and both went out in 1932 replaced by 14ct.
So it could be 19th c.
I think they belonged to the same person ( assumption again!) as they are an identical size and I bought them together from someone who does house clearances and sells at boot sales.

 

In the 1920s, they were very popular in platinum. Or so sayeth the newspapers.

I have no idea beyond that.

 

Or at least pre 1932. White gold is more of a 20th century (and 21st) thing.

 

Either way, karat gold for a sterling pricetag is a pretty good deal!

 

9ct and SIL is a 1920s/30s mark on British semi costume stuff. I suspect the eternity ring is a similar age and white gold.

 

Ok, so we narrow it down to c1920 onwards?

 

Wasn't even Sterling price tag so I'm chuffed!. All you lovely people on here make me enjoy the research and the history. Thankyou

 

I know a lot of the first white gold jewellery in high finenesses is starting to turn yellow. I guess the gold (yellow) is more durable than the silver of the alloy, and becoming more prominent.
That helps to date it when the style can't.
I have that with a ca 1910 18k ring, and that is the way it was explained to me. I don't know if that would happen with 13, since that has more silver in it than 18.

 

Sorry, just seen this. Thankyou