Featured When and where is this gold band from?

Found by metal detectorist (not me) on GA plantation with roots to 1700s so he says. Claims tested to 9k. That would likely make it British I would think but it is sans hallmarks which would make it more likely to be American I would think. Anyways maybe the work and style will give it away to someone more knowledgeable than me? It’s a size 6 so I’m guessing it’s a ladies ring.

 

Much Victorian and earlier gold wasn't hallmarked here. Given it's 9 carat, it might well be one of ours. A wedding ring: might be a man's people had smaller paws.

 

Good to know. I thought most was hallmarked there. He acid tested it to 9k, so I guess it hard to know if it’s 9 for sure. I did think about hands being smaller then but 6 would be pretty dang small for a man even then wouldn’t it?

admittedly it looks very much like a men’s wedding band.

 

How broad is it? That's a bit of a clue.

I've a fair bit of unmarked 18th and 19th C stuff, it's more common than you might think. It's really only after WW2 that it becomes nigh on universal. You get stuff marked with just 9ct. That looks rose gold.

 

Too many unknowns,how deep was the ring,is it engraved or chased,has the area been in constant use since the 1700's? The design looks like it could ethnic from another country.

 

It's a classic cigar band ring and could have been done on either side of the Atlantic. Given that this was "dug" most of the usual cues are right out the window. The design may well be hand-stamped, and if it's as old as it wants to be it's a gent's wedding ring and older than dirt. Maybe we ought to be asking Mad Anthony Wayne if one of his officers lost it while messing with the Regulars down in that area! Or maybe one of the British soldiers did.

 

The design is a very typical albeit also very worn buckle style. Common for wedding rings.

As to age, I think 9 carat is the huge clue. If it were earlier, more likely to be higher carat. Also, the rose gold points at 19th.

 

Unfortunately I know nothing more about the ring or the area it was found. Just saw it and was curious if the finders attribution was correct or not. Figured there was a chance someone may know by looking at it. Hell of a fun find either way!

Speaking of fun finds I found my first piece of coin silver a week or so ago. CA coin silver at that! Unfortunately it’s mangled to death, probably by a plow. Still pretty good for coming out of a field.

 

CA? California? Canada? (Just curious... Obviously I'm clueless here.)

 

It seems to have those raised rectangles all around, so not really a buckle style.

 

aj, I've seen them as a sort of ring of stylised buckles, if that makes sense?

 

I can picture that.

 

Nice ring Circa 19th century IMHO. Unisex in my opinion - could be worn by a woman or a man. Definitely solid rose gold based upon the wear with no brassing. It's testing 9K which means, in my opinion, it was either sold as 10K or more. Under karat is the norm. i.e. a ring marked 9ct will almost always show in the 8K gold range using a niton xl2 for testing. Some rings sold as 14 or 18k can test as low as 9K which really stinks if you are the buyer of said ring at 14 or 18k prices.

 

In which country is that, George? Here in Europe most countries had (still have) assay offices where the gold was tested and hallmarked.

 

I have found it to be a common theme in general with the stuff I run into. I am in the U.S. so most of what I come by is U.S. & made for U.S. market imports from Italy & China stuff. Under karat does not have to mean significant. so a ring assayed at 18k may test at 17.5k. Thailand is horrible about marking stuff 14k & 18k (think princess/harem rings) and it only being 9k or 10k to the point I won't knowingly buy Thai gold. In the states, they allow for a "tolerance" in under karat within the marked gold content and still be able to call it a higher karat gold. That was why I said it was probably sold as a 10K ring but given the age, could have been sold as a higher Karat given no standards.

For a hobby seller, I buy a lot of gold & silver and I have seen a lot of gold jewelry test out using the Niton xl2. It is rare I get a piece that is spot on as marked but I don't see a lot of international stuff. Off the top of my head, the only one's I have not seen that with are bits marked as KP (karats plumb) and the French pieces I have acquired. Even some of the UK stuff comes in light.

 

Oh, right, I thought you were talking about 19th century practices, since it is a 19th century ring and would have been bought in the 19th century. I tend to think a little too logical at times, so I didn't think you meant recent jewellery.
I know about recent Italian, Chinese and Thai gold and silver items, of course. I warn about those all the time here on Antiquers.

 

California, San Fran specifically.

 

Okay, thanks.