Vintage Ruby Bracelet & Ring From Germany?

[Lightlines]

Hi everyone

I inherited an allegedly ruby (that's what it says in the will) ring and bracelet from my German grandmother, who was born in 1918. I don't know a thing about vintage jewellery, so would be interested in knowing whether anyone can tell me a little bit about these pieces, e.g. when they might have been made, who they were popular with and so on. Although it is nothing that I myself would wear, I plan on passing the set on to the next generation for sentimental reasons, and would like to write a little something on a tag to attach to the set so the next generation knows a bit about it. I vaguely remember a family story saying that it belonged to my grandmother's mother-in-law, which would put it into a timeframe around 1900 or possibly the late 1800s? If it helps, there is a stamp on both the ring and the bracelet with the number "555".



If anyone has any insights I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

 

[Rhea]

They look more like garnets than rubies. I have a couple of small things and the design reminds me of those. Are you sure it's marked 555? I think it could be 333 for 8 karat gold which is common with a) garnet jewelry, b) German jewelry, and c) European jewelry from that time period. One of the sellers of one of my little things called it 'garnet gold'

 

[Lightlines]

Hi there,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! Yes, good point, it might be garnets. Her will said "rubies" but who knows. Perhaps I should take it to a jeweler to have them look at it, but as I'm not planning on selling it, I'm not sure I want to trouble someone with it.

I just looked again with my big magnifying glass and the number looks more like a 555....but it could be a 333 if the tops were cut off. Hmmm. Hard to tell as it's all a bit worn off, so clearly it got a fair bit of use over the years.

Do you have a guess, based on the style etc., what time period it might be from? I wonder if she bought it for herself, vs. inheriting it from someone.

Thanks again!

 

[DutchJackie]

Maybe it’s 585? That’s the stamp for 14K gold. Garnet jewelry was popular in that time.

 

[Lightlines]

It's definitely three of the same numbers...hmmmm. I feel like a jewellery detective!

I've just done an online search and apparently garnet pieces were popular from the late 1700s onwards. Given that they are both stamped though, I have to think they were produced later? Intriguing!

 

[LemonMoonLex]

I would bet money that they're all garnets.

 

[DutchJackie]

Germany has indeed a marking for 8K gold with 333. I’m from the Netherlands and here markings start at 14K. In our family there are also some garnet pieces. They are approximately from 1880-1950. Thankfully grandma is still doing well, so it’ll be a little while before I get into the detective work

 

[Lightlines]

Ok that's helpful to know, thanks! And garnets is fine by me although I feel a bit badly for my poor grandmother who thought she owned rubies! In fact garnet works out perfectly as my 14 year old niece was born in January, and garnet is the birthstone for that month. I think I will get them inspected by a jeweler to make sure that they can be worn safely, and then I'll get them cleaned up and give them to her for her 21st birthday as a momento of either her great-grandmother, or her great-great grandmother (depending on when they were made). There is also a loose stone in the set, which I'll get put into a pendant and buy a gold chain for it. Perhaps she will enjoy wearing a bit of her heritage and having something to pass on to the next generation!

Btw I'm just thinking out loud - given that my grandmother explicitly wrote "rubies" in her will, I have to think she didn't purchase these herself, and therefore it is in fact quite likely that they were passed to her by her mother-in-law. If my grandmother was born in 1918, then I suppose it's quite possible that these were from the late 1800s. Neat.

Thanks again!!!

 

[goldnsilver]

Lovely pieces! My first impression was also that the stones look like garnets, plus the setting style is more typical for garnets rather than rubies.

It's hard to judge from two photos, but I have a feeling that these aren't terribly old. The settings (prongs on the ring and peek of side profile on the bracelet) seem to me more likely to be mid 20th century or later, as they have a "geometric" look. And the stones lean slightly brown in the photos which also suggests 20th century provenance. If you'd like more opinions from the forum, please do feel free to post more pics (ones of the back and markings are always helpful for dating the pieces).

I'd say definitely bring them to a jeweller to have them take a look. If you're asking for a checkup and clean/polish service, they should usually have no problem telling you which stones these are, as rubies and garnets are easy to tell apart by professionals. Please keep us posted on what you find out!

 

[Lightlines]

Lovely pieces! My first impression was also that the stones look like garnets, plus the setting style is more typical for garnets rather than rubies.

It's hard to judge from two photos, but I have a feeling that these aren't terribly old. The settings (prongs on the ring and peek of side profile on the bracelet) seem to me more likely to be mid 20th century or later, as they have a "geometric" look. And the stones lean slightly brown in the photos which also suggests 20th century provenance. If you'd like more opinions from the forum, please do feel free to post more pics (ones of the back and markings are always helpful for dating the pieces).

I'd say definitely bring them to a jeweller to have them take a look. If you're asking for a checkup and clean/polish service, they should usually have no problem telling you which stones these are, as rubies and garnets are easy to tell apart by professionals. Please keep us posted on what you find out!

Thanks so much for the info! I have since posted them on a forum in Germany since that's where they came from, and have been told by several jewelers there that they are garnets and that they are probably post WWII. I have attached some additional photos here though, and am grateful for any input!

In light of the fact that they are pretty new, and given that my young niece's birthstone is a garnet, I am going to get them cleaned up and also try to update them a bit by having them plated in a white gold and perhaps working in a few small diamonds (if they were old pieces from say the late 1800s I would have left them as is). I'll also buy a necklace pendant and earrings to match. I have family members overseas searching for photos of my grandmother wearing the jewellery, and if they find some, I'll take those, plus photos of the set in its original condition and put it all into a nice jewellery/presentation box with a note describing their provenance. Then I'll give the whole lot to my niece for her 21st birthday, still 7 years down the road which gives me plenty of time to take care of all of this, in the hopes that by then she will be old enough wear it responsibly from time to time, and if not, at least cherish a bit of her heritage, instead of simply selling it all for cash value.

I really do appreciate the input - it has been very helpful to me!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Ok that's helpful to know, thanks! And garnets is fine by me although I feel a bit badly for my poor grandmother who thought she owned rubies! In fact garnet works out perfectly as my 14 year old niece was born in January, and garnet is the birthstone for that month. I think I will get them inspected by a jeweler to make sure that they can be worn safely, and then I'll get them cleaned up and give them to her for her 21st birthday as a momento of either her great-grandmother, or her great-great grandmother (depending on when they were made). There is also a loose stone in the set, which I'll get put into a pendant and buy a gold chain for it. Perhaps she will enjoy wearing a bit of her heritage and having something to pass on to the next generation!

Btw I'm just thinking out loud - given that my grandmother explicitly wrote "rubies" in her will, I have to think she didn't purchase these herself, and therefore it is in fact quite likely that they were passed to her by her mother-in-law. If my grandmother was born in 1918, then I suppose it's quite possible that these were from the late 1800s. Neat.

Thanks again!!!

These are my favourite kind of threads
Im so glad you showed us
The ring and braclete are lovelly and if gran thought it was a ruby and maybe it isnt ? ....- well she enjoyed it anyway

They are a very pleasing colour to my eye no matter what the stone

How wonderful to have such lovelly family history to pass on to your neice
And how wonderful to have a pendent to match - you can then become part of the story of the pieces too

And it will be like great/ great great granny will be at the 21st

May i suggest you also jot down some info on the granny (and grandad)
When I inherited my great grandma's wedding ring after mum's passing - i didnt even know mum's grandma's name so i had to go to one of those ancestry communities on line and ask (very nice) random strangers what great grandad's name was
Perhaps you have some family photos too ? Or a photo of the town where they were from from that era

 

[Lightlines]

Hi D&D, yes, I'm going to try to include a copy of her birth certificate if I can lay my hands on it, and a few photos. I might also write up a bit of a history of her background, as it's quite interesting. I have a feeling this "gift box" might end up being a bit larger; more like a memory box at this rate.

 

[AprilBaby]

I love garnets and your pieces are lovely!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hi D&D, yes, I'm going to try to include a copy of her birth certificate if I can lay my hands on it, and a few photos. I might also write up a bit of a history of her background, as it's quite interesting. I have a feeling this "gift box" might end up being a bit larger; more like a memory box at this rate.

How wonderful to honour (great) granny this way
And what a treasure for future generations