First ring! Finally.. Old sterling silver

[treasurehunter313]

Finally found my first ring. I guess I shouldn't say finally I have really only been detecting hard since beginning of June haha. It was in my uncles yard which is one of the first houses in my town. At first I didn't think it was a ring. It was bent up and I didn't see any marking on it. I cleaned it up and saw the sterling mark!! Pretty happy. If anyone has a guess of age I would appreciate it. It was rather deep in the ground. Funny thing is, I showed my mother and she's said " don't you remember finding that other sterling silver ring playing in paps garden?" She showed me the ring it was very nice and has some type of insects on it. I found it just while playing and I didn't remember it! A couple years after that when I was around 8 I found a 1818 large cent playing in dirt from a road tear out at my other uncles. The funny part was he had a whites detector back then and didn't find anything close to that old!!! Haha I might have better luck without a detector who knows. Thanks for looking. HH

 

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[treasurehunter313]

Also does anyone have any tips on bending a ring back? My ring is a lot better than it was, but I'm sure some of you have some tips... Thanks!

 

[DonDigger]

Use a tapered mandrel and slowly work the ring down the mandrel, flipping it over multiple times as you go to avoid inducing a taper to the inside diameter. I have successfully use a large professional butchers steel in lieu of a jewelers mandrel. Use a leather or hard rubber mallet.

 

[dirtlooter]

congrats on the first ring and silver at that. one of my friends owns a pawn shop and has a ring sizer mandrel and he has done several for my while I showed him my finds

 

[treasurehunter313]

Thank you both for the info! I'll look into it and get it looking great

 

[old digger]

Congratulations on your first silver ring.

 

[treasurehunter313]

Congratulations on your first silver ring.

thank you !

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Hmmm,

Seems like you really do have an old ring !! (Most people find a ring and right away think its old..) I'm guessing maybe 40's or 50's. Use a Mandrel to fix it if you can, if not heat it up to bend it so it won't crack.


Keep @ it and HH !

 

[Kodiak43351]

Nice ring

 

[frogginfish]

Great first ring! I'm still searching for my first too!
Hope you find many more like it!!

 

[treasurehunter313]

Hmmm, Seems like you really do have an old ring !! (Most people find a ring and right away think its old..) I'm guessing maybe 40's or 50's. Use a Mandrel to fix it if you can, if not heat it up to bend it so it won't crack. Keep @ it and HH !

thanks for the guess. I do think it is older as you said the depth and history of the house leads me to believe so at least. I'm going to get it fixed and get a display case going for jewelry I find this is the only other piece I have found thus far (last wkend) but maybe getting a display will throw out the positive thoughts that I will find more haha

 

[treasurehunter313]

Great first ring! I'm still searching for my first too! Hope you find many more like it!!

you'll find it! Good luck !

 

[SusanMN]

It doesn't look bent to me, but rather shaped from years of being worn. Personally I wouldn't try to straighten it. If you want to clean the ring though, I would use baking soda paste or a lemon juice soak,

 

[treasurehunter313]

It doesn't look bent to me, but rather shaped from years of being worn. Personally I wouldn't try to straighten it. If you want to clean the ring though, I would use baking soda paste or a lemon juice soak,

well I bent it to where it is now cause it was a shaped like a triangle before haha. Yeah maybe I'll leave it as is. Thanks for the cleaning tips!

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Nice ring finding!

 

[park pirate]

Nice ring..

 

[Argentium]

As a semi pro silversmith and jeweler for many years , I can tell you with confidence that the ring
can be safely rounded with a tapered mandrel and mallet as mentioned earlier . In order to get a
sense of the age of it , I would like to see close up pics of both inside and the outside of the ring .
Nice find !

 

[jewelerguy]

great find. congrats, and hopes for many more in the future

 

[treasurehunter313]

As a semi pro silversmith and jeweler for many years , I can tell you with confidence that the ring can be safely rounded with a tapered mandrel and mallet as mentioned earlier . In order to get a sense of the age of it , I would like to see close up pics of both inside and the outside of the ring . Nice find !

I will send you pictures if I can manage to take good ones after I get it reshaped and cleaned up. Thanks

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

thanks for the guess. I do think it is older as you said the depth and history of the house leads me to believe so at least. I'm going to get it fixed and get a display case going for jewelry I find this is the only other piece I have found thus far (last wkend) but maybe getting a display will throw out the positive thoughts that I will find more haha

The ring is to basic to be from the late 1800's or Victorian era. Everything from that era had ornate designs. Flowers and swirls and such. Its got a stamp and the marking act was in 1906. Depth has very little to do with age. Finds from the 1800's can be as deep as something from 1996 and the other way around. Oldest I'll give you on this ring is 1920's.. Hope this helps.

Keep @ it and HH !!