Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday... (Updated more pics)

[fir469]

Picked up this beautiful 10K or 12K (tested under 14K) Victorian Era (1880-1920) Cameo ring from about 5" down in the shell mulch sand on Sunday. Best part was it was located right smack in the middle of 3 previously dug holes by another MD'er. He was moving way too fast for this trash laden beach and passed it up along with a ton of other targets. They key is to just slow down, sometimes way down, keep that coil flat and persevere... HH all!!

Added more pics as requested, including one of the beauty that stole it from me lol...

 

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[beachboy]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Banner, and Beautiful

 

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[MikE-Trac]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

grats man, awesome ring!!!

 

[diggin tennessee]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

good save

 

[creeper71]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Very cool!
Could it be a seal ring?
Newt

I don't think so.. but the Cameo was carved out of some type of rock or shell I believe this may be Volcanic rock.. I could be wrong tho..

Found this to Help him clean it...

To prevent damage and corrosion to the frame, cameo jewelry should be stored in a secure, clean and dry place. Even gold frames become tarnished due to pollution and oxidation of the alloys in the metal. Careful storage can retard this natural process as well as prevent shells from becoming chipped. Cleaning cameos is simple. A gentle scrubbing with a soft bristle toothbrush in a mild soap and water solution is the most popular method. It should be rinsed off immediately and thoroughly with warm water. Never soak shell cameos or "soft" stones in any cleaning solution for more than 30 seconds. After cleaning you need to moisturize. This is done, preferably, with a fine oil such as mineral or baby oil applied with a Q-tip. It should be allowed to "soak " for a few hours or overnight. Then, wipe off any excess oil that visually remains. This process should be performed once or twice a year

i would take that to a jewler first to see if you can get a idea of value an what the cameo is made of..then I would take it to a museum or a very high dollar appaiser to see what it is exactly an worth.. I am very confident it is worth some serious money!

 

[Bulldog1948]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

WOW What a Great day at the beach.
All we've got here is freezing rain and more snow on the way- oh yeah, real froggy opps- foggy now. I'll just have to sit and have my , kick back read post and dream of Spring.
Bulldog 1948

 

[fir469]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Very cool!
Could it be a seal ring?
Newt

I don't think so.. but the Cameo was carved out of some type of rock or shell I believe this may be Volcanic rock.. I could be wrong tho..

Found this to Help him clean it...

To prevent damage and corrosion to the frame, cameo jewelry should be stored in a secure, clean and dry place. Even gold frames become tarnished due to pollution and oxidation of the alloys in the metal. Careful storage can retard this natural process as well as prevent shells from becoming chipped. Cleaning cameos is simple. A gentle scrubbing with a soft bristle toothbrush in a mild soap and water solution is the most popular method. It should be rinsed off immediately and thoroughly with warm water. Never soak shell cameos or "soft" stones in any cleaning solution for more than 30 seconds. After cleaning you need to moisturize. This is done, preferably, with a fine oil such as mineral or baby oil applied with a Q-tip. It should be allowed to "soak " for a few hours or overnight. Then, wipe off any excess oil that visually remains. This process should be performed once or twice a year

Thanks for the awesome preservation post Creeper! I only gave it a quick rinse in warm water which removed all the salt and sand and polished it with a soft eyeglass cloth. She's sitting in a little jewelry box now.

Definitely not a Seal Ring Newt, most of them are inverted to create a embossed effect on the wax rather then an indentation.

Mark, The GF tried it on and it only fits her pinky, must have been some delicate lady fingers that it once graced.

The stone is a milky periwinkle color unlike most cameos I've seen that are white or black or coral. The left side of the face is almost translucent in the light. I'm proud to own a piece of Victorian history, brings a whole new meaning to the show "Boardwalk Empire".

Thanks for the awesome comments guys and for the banner noms!!

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

very nice ring...a couple more pics would be nice,,, any markings inside band? yes i am jealous and happy for you all at the same time..congrats.

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Beautiful ring! That's one awesome antique ring!

You make a really good point about slowing down! Last March I dug a Morgan silver dollar out of a famous S.F. park. All around the target were the plugs dug by another detectorist that looked to be one to 7 days old.

 

[gregd573]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Very nice ring...who wouldn't be jumping up and down to find that. Like a couple of others....it looks like my hunting days are gone for a bit. We have about 12 inches on the ground and supposed to keep snowing until this evening......YAHOO. Just how much better could it get.

Again....great find
gregd

 

[jcooking]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Wow big congrats on an awesome ring!

 

[FunWithTreasure]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

Wow. Thats a beauty. I really love old cameos.

 

[hwking01]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

 

[Gunrunner61]

Re: Plucked a Gold Victorian Cameo Ring from the sand Sunday...

As my son says Man!!! thats Sick!.....Translation= Bud that is one cool ring.......ChaaaaChingggg!!!!

 

[Imnengr]

I love that ring, truly unique. Great job. We are currently in middle of a blizzard here in Chicago area...howling winds and blowing snow...should I get out there and detect?

 

[Whydah]

Picked up this beautiful 10K or 12K (tested under 14K) Victorian Era (1880-1920) Cameo ring from about 5" down in the shell mulch sand on Sunday. Best part was it was located right smack in the middle of 3 previously dug holes by another MD'er. He was moving way too fast for this trash laden beach and passed it up along with a ton of other targets. They key is to just slow down, sometimes way down, keep that coil flat and persevere... HH all!!

Added more pics as requested, including one of the beauty that stole it from me lol...

Absolutely Stunning.....

 

[Blind Squirrel]

That is a real beauty!!! The ring looks good too Congrats, BS

 

[creeper71]

your first pic the cameo looked black so I thought it was lava..but now it looks to be made of shell.. I am not a expert tho it could may possibly even be ivory?

 

[thrillathahunt]

That second picture should be on the BANNER! Come on people let's get it up there.

 

[USTiger]

Differently a find worth Banner.. good job.

USTiger

 

[fir469]

Thanks for the awesome comments guys!! And I can't say enough how much I appreciate the banner noms, I'd be thrilled to grace the banner!! It was odd how the color changed. On sunday when that pic was taken on the beach it was that bluish, grayish color and was when I got home as well. I took it back out of the drawer last night to take the new pics I posted and it was white!! I'm guessing maybe the stone was retaining moisture, minerals, or salt or all of the above and dried out overnight resulting in it's true color. It's a nice cream color with lines of bluish gray through it. The girlfriend loves it that's for sure! Thanks again guys!!

-Jason