Star Light, Star Bright

[Circe]

Against some pretty beads ....

 

[Circe]

In close-up ....

 

[Circe]

Just a pretty angle ....

 

[Circe]

With a thematically appropriate earring ....

 

[Circe]

And, next to my e-ring and wedding band (which is also engraved with stars - hey, at least I''m consistent).

 

[geckodani]

That is seriously fun bling!

 

[Circe]

Like many of you guessed, it is definitely an Eastern Star ring: the seller said that it belonged to one of the first lady veterinarians in San Francisco, which I find unutterably cool, but didn''t seem to know anything beyond that. From that fact and the style, I am guessing Art Deco, but like I said ... no evidence, just a feeling.

It has a 49 on one side of the shank, and a gavel on the other side: doing a little sleuthing, I checked the Eastern Star website, and their list of chapters goes straight from 48 to 50. Curious - I will have to write to them to ask!

Aside from that, it''s hallmarked OZ - any thoughts on what that could indicate? If it''s a makers mark, I''ve never heard of them, and googling it gets me either ounces or Australians or books by Frank L. Baum (though I do rather like the idea that it might have belonged to Glinda the Good).

And, one last general question ... do you guys think I need to have the prongs on some of the smaller stones retipped? They''re perfect on the left side, but a bit worn on the right, and I would hate to lose any of those little single cuts ....

 

[Circe]

Date: 2/14/2009 7:00:59 PM
Author: glitterata
Lovely ring!


Could it originally have been from a fraternal organization? One of them--the Masons??--used five-pointed stars as a symbol.

Yes, definitely! It was listed as an Eastern Star ring, and it''s completely in keeping with the look of their mementos from the Art Deco period - they don''t seem to have "normalized" their symbols until later. As a happy Jewish pagan, this is perfect for me (and, hopefully, not a desecration of their beliefs/inappropriate appropriation). I''m trying to find out more about them, but, well ... semi-secret society! A lot of the available material seems to be disinformation.

 

[Circe]

Date: 2/16/2009 5:08:27 PM
Author: mausketeer
Hey Circe! Very pretty! We''re in our own little ''star'' club now I guess. LOL. Sigh... all I got for V-day was a photograph of a Valentine (boyfriend is back east at the moment) Lucky you got some pretty sparklies! Congrats...... keep us updated if you find out any more about the history (that''s what I love about vintage jewellery the most!)


- Jodie -

Thanks, Jodie! I like the idea of a club - we''ll have to recruit heavily until we attain constellation status.

I hope the BF comes back soon so he can express his affections more corporeally! And, will do - you''re exactly right. I actually think this issue needs a thread all it''s own ... will post one in Hangout when I''m done responding to all the nice comments here!

 

[Circe]

Date: 2/16/2009 10:12:33 PM
Author: Fly Girl
Here''s a link to an Eastern Star ring that looks a lot like yours. Link

Fly Girl, that is eerie - awesome find, thank you!

 

[Circe]

And, finally, just ''cause I should get *some* work done today (

) though I''d rather chat and obsess and dissect the potential histories of jewelry - thank you all so much for your compliments and suggestions! You rock.

 

[Skippy123]

What a beauty!

 

[Circe]

Thanks, Skippy! Another fun fact I found while researching - apparently the numbers on the shank reference the year when the ring was made/given. So the ring I got for my 30th ... is precisely 30 years old. Nifty!