Need help with my inherited engagement ring

[emmajanebarratt]

Hello.

Can anybody help me date the era of my engagement ring, I think it might be art deco. It was given to me by my mum recently as it was her engagement ring and before her it belonged to my grandmother. The ring is yellow gold and has 21 small clear diamonds within the cluster. I also know the stamp inside indicates that it was hallmarked in Birmingham England.

Thank you.

 

[emmajanebarratt]

Can nobody help

 

[LibbyLA]

There's not a lot of traffic on this forum. Expecting a reply in less than an hour is a bit unrealistic!

Here's a link to an article on hallmarks:

http://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com/antique-jewelry-hallmarks.html

and here's a reference:

http://www.britishhallmarkingcouncil.gov.uk/publications/hallmarks2.pdf

Your ring probably has the assay office stamp (which you've already identified as Birmingham), a karat mark, and there's a letter in it that you can use to tell the year. Identifying the letter and the font can be a challenge but there's a page in the PDF that has the letters and the years they stand for. The entire booklet is interesting reading, but the Birmingham info is on page 13.

liz

 

[emmajanebarratt]

Hi Liz

Many thanks for your reply. Your references were really useful. I've managed to date the ring to 1936 which I'm guessing is too late for art deco?

Kind regards
Emma

 

[narual]

I've managed to date the ring to 1936 which I'm guessing is too late for art deco?

Art deco declined in popularity through the 30s and early 40s, but that doesn't prevent anything at any given date from being created in art deco style. The picture of the ring doesn't really scream art deco to me, but if it was made in 1936 that was during a period that art deco was popular. But that doesn't mean it's necessarily art deco any more than having lived through the late 60s makes someone a hippie. My house was built in 1905, which is 4 years after the victorian period ended, but it's still clearly a victorian house (though there are definitely a few arts and crafts movement touches in the interior).

 

[emmajanebarratt]

Thanks narual.

Your reply makes a lot of sense. I didn't think the ring looked art deco but just assumed all rings made in the in the art deco period would be art deco in styling (I have no clue when it comes to jewelry).

At least I now know the ring is 75 years old and hallmarked in Birmingham UK.

The cluster part of the ring (holding the diamonds) looks silver and the band part is yellow gold but I can't see any join marks. Was it common to mix to two metals?

 

[LibbyLA]

It's more likely white gold and yellow gold. It's fairly common to use white gold for the prongs and head and yellow gold for the shank.