Opinions wanted - could this be a shipwreck ring?

[time4me]

Here is my original post of a tiny ring I found last week on an ocean beach in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod...

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,171865.msg1252496.html#msg1252496

I had the ring tested this morning at the local jeweler, and they said it is 10K gold.

I would love to hear opinions from those knowledgeable about shipwrecks as to whether this could be a ring from a shipwreck or not.

Thanks,

Jim

 

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[allen_idaho]

It looks like it most likely came from a shipwreck. It definately looks like it could have been from the right time period. But that is just speculation, of course.

 

[Chagy]

Hello,

I believe its modern.....Back in the 1600s and 1700s they used pure gold almost 24k....

Thats just my humble opinion...

All the best,

Chagy.....

 

[stevemc]

Yes, as Chagy said, 22kt was the usual Kt weight in the 1600-1700s. 10 kt is more modern. It looks like an earring- I posted on the other post yesterday, Steve.

 

[Trez]

It does look like a worn out toe ring/earring...tumbled in the sand. But !!!!
Gold varied from almost pure (22+kt) like the boys said to very low karat below 10 and even less...shipwreck or no shipwreck.
Don't let anyone tell you it's modern just because it falls in the 10 kt. range that doesn't mean anything...as far as dating or identifying it as shipwreck.

The Spanish back in the 1700s wore just as much costume jewerly, simple and plain as many people today, gold plated material as well with fake stones...so don't go by that.

The shipwreck rings that I have found so far to date, all have been low Kt. some even with stones...but all not what you would expect. You need to research more on your find...don't be in a rush to pitch it in the drawer or scrap heap yet, good luck.
But, yes there are many high kt. finds from shipwrecks like Chagy and Steve said, but also just as much low quality material as well worn by (The common folk of the day.)

Trez

 

[Salvor6]

Trez, how could they plate something in the 1700's when there was no electricity? What was this process?

 

[Trez]

plating (gilding) has been occurring for many hundreds of years w/o the use of "electricity" as we think as today...
the use of plant juices in the form of acids being the most common way...
I'm not saying the Spanish used this method, but the native craftsmans that the Spanish and world explorers came in contact with did, from South America, Central America and into Mexico.

I will find the book I have on the techniques they used, it is very interesting and worth a read. It contains some magnificent examples of early works...

"depletion gilding, a unique subtractive process discovered in Pre-columbian Mesoamerica, articles are fabricated by various techniques from an alloy of copper and gold (named tumbaga by the Spaniards). The surface is etched with acids, resulting in a surface of porous gold. The porous surface is then burnished down, resulting in a shiny gold surface. The results fooled the conquistadors into thinking they had massive quantities of pure gold. The results startled modern archaeologists, because at first the pieces resemble electroplated articles."

Trez