Please help me to find out if the ring is really antique

[josmar]

Hello everyone,
thanks for your time to read my post. I will be happy to get any information possible about this garnet ring, maybe someone has got the same and knows where and when it was made. The only hallmark on it says 333, which i believe means 8ct gold. What are your thoughts? Could it be antique?
Thank you

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Hi,
What a pretty ring. I'm not a jeweller but it seems to be Victorian in style, and might be vintage or antique. It could be from the inter-war era in Europe. You might wish to take it to a jeweller who specialises in antiques, particularly German antiques if you can find someone. The garnets may be natural or paste, but in any case it's a lovely find! Congratulations!

 

[josmar]

Hi,
What a pretty ring. I'm not a jeweller but it seems to be Victorian in style, and might be vintage or antique. It could be from the inter-war era in Europe. You might wish to take it to a jeweller who specialises in antiques, particularly German antiques if you can find someone. The garnets may be natural or paste, but in any case it's a lovely find! Congratulations!

Oh, thank you very much for a quick response! Why do you think it might be related to German antiques? Sorry for silly questions, my knowledge in jewellery arts is not outstanding))

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Hello,

333 is a gold-content marker which was used in Germany after 1884 (Prior to 1884 they had used a measurement of "Löthig" instead of karat.) Since it's marked 333, it seems likely that the ring was made in Germany sometime after 1884 - although I could not say how long after. It might be a modern copy of an old design - but in 8ct gold, I doubt it

The style seems vaguely Victorian, but not as tightly-packed as some cluster rings appear to be, by which I mean there seems to be space between the outer row of stones, whereas my memory of Victorian cluster rings is that so many of them have every tiny little speck of space filled in. The style of manufacture could mean it was made earlier than the overwhelming majority of garnet cluster rings, or it might mean actually nothing at all. This is all conjecture anyway since I'm not an expert (just an enthusiast).

Here's a similar ring, which the seller on Etsy stated was from the 1930's.

The only really important thing is that it is beautiful, and that you love it. I hope you'll wear it in very good health!

 

[josmar]

Thanks a lot for such a substantial respond! I have been to jeweller's today and he also suggested that the ring is most likely made in Germany. He also suggested to visit someone who specializes in Antique bcs they would definitely know more. Next stop is Antique place then!! Thank you ever so much for paying attention to my post and taking your time to explain about 333 hallmark and Germany
Yes, i love the ring, no matter what their answer is, and i deliberately do not ask them to estimate it, it's special bcs it's got history behind it, i find it intriguing.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

You're very welcome; there's nothing I'd rather do that chat about jewellery!

One last thing: when you take it to someone, be aware that it is a common thing for jewellers to clean rings for clients without asking permission first, and if you would prefer the original patina left as it is, you might want to say something about valuing it, lest they remove it and think they've done you a service! Personally, I am very careful with my trinkets to clean them without removing the age, as it were.

Just a thought. Congrats on the ring! Please consider sharing pics of it in other "antiques" forums here.
ISG

 

[josmar]

Oh, yes, that's a thought! I got mine cleaned when i got it, so it has started so called "new life" with me and from now all ageing of the ring will be happening with me. I will remember for future, thank you for the advice. You do sound like a big enthusiast in jewellery! It's like me enjoying the smell of 50ies wrist watch found at the charity shop, and not wanting it to go))))

 

[josmar]

I have found out where and approx when the ring was made! Just found its twin brother on German ebay, InsecureSweetGirl, thank you for pointing out that it might have been made in Germany, it led me to the right direction!! So according to the Antique seller from Germany the ring was made in between 1965-1975, the garnets are almaden type, 1.0 carat. Even though the ring wants at least another 30 years to be called "antique", i am happy i know a bit more about its history

 

[PreRaphaelite]

That's fantastic! I'm so happy you found out more about your ring. I found a nice web page that has pictures of lots of Bohemian Garnets:

http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/bohemian-garnets-aid-58.html

They also show up in page 79 of Warman's book: http://www.amazon.com/Warmans-Jewelry-Identification-Price-Guide/dp/144023597X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430574048&sr=1-1&keywords=9781440235979

I don't know if you plan to build a collection of Bohemian Garnets, but you might enjoy researching garnets for fun. Here's a magnetism reference page http://gemstonemagnetism.com/template.html

Best of luck and do come back to show us your other favorite pieces in the future!

 

[josmar]

Thank you very much for the links, those garnets are absolutely fabulous!! They are indeed works of Art