Matching baby and Mothers rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

[Danimal]

Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

I know some of you "dig" more than just the digging involved in this hobby, well so do I...
I find myself often wondering the whys and hows involved in the objects I unearth as to HOW they got there in the first place, how sad the original owner must have been at the time it was lost, etc. Usually it comes down to a single event where the object was dropped, the possible search and final resignation and continuance of their daily routines.
Sometimes though it seems that there must have been something more surrounding the facts on how and why.
yesterday at lunch I was working near a old homestead in an overgrown wooded area near where I work, and found two rings. Since starting THing 5 months ago, I have already found over 30 rings, so I wasn't totally floored at the find, although one was a tiny baby's ring and quite fine in detail.
It wasn't until last night when I took them home, cleaned them and broke out the Simichrome polish that the real detail appeared. On the inner band of each ring was the same "sterling->MH<-" mark, indicating to me they were a set. Also, both rings bore hearts, and the hearts were the exact same shape. So...obviously, (to me at least) this was a mother/baby ring set. They were found about 15 feet apart, and both dug at about 7" deep.
Why were both there? I doubt that both were lost at the same time. I doubt that both were lost at seperate times. Did the baby remove it's ring and also pull mommy's ring off and toss it?
Before I let my imagination run rampant, I'd like to hear YOUR ideas on how they both ended up underground near each other at similar depths.
Assume they are a set.
Here's a pic to give you an idea of how very tiny and fine the baby's sterling ring actually is.

 

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[Kiros32]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Great finds, it amazes me when valuable items are found so deep. As far as the explanation, I hate to be the guy with the glass half-empty, however, the MH may be the jeweler or companies initials. It may just be a coincidence that they ended up in that area together. I think we need PBK to research this possibility, it seems he has endless resources .

With that said, I would maybe entertain the possibility that the mother and daughter were buried back there, and someone buried the rings on top of their graves later.

Maybe there was a garden there once where mother and daughter worked together and both lost their rings.

Tis one of those mysteries that we wish we could all solve. I am interested in hearing others opinions.

 

[Danimal]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Kiros,
I agree that the "MH" is just the maker's initials, but the similarity of the heart shapes and the location of the finds says to me they are a set, probably purchased together for a new mother and her child.
I think the odds of them both being "lost" so near each other are very slim.
Though morbid, the thought of the gravesites did pass my mind already.
My father last night handed me back the rings saying he had a bad feeling about them. Such comments are not like my father to make...

 

[Ant]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Very nice finds.

There are numerous ways rings are lost, to many to list. They simply could spend lots of time in their yard and where lost at separate times, just like most rings are lost they fall of ones finger. Or, they could have simply been in the laundry and when mom was hanging the laundry she could have shook a garment and the rings went flying.

Gold, silver and other rare heavy metals sink deeper because they are heaver, as well as what type of medium the item is settling into. Those are two of the main factors that contribute to how fast something sinks but there are other, temp, moisture, etc.

 

[Danimal]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

They could have been simply been in the laundry and when mom was hanging the laundry she could have shook a garment and the rings went flying.

This seems plausible.

I wasn't really looking for reasons as to their depth. The soil here was rather soft. Other coins and object from here at that depth date to the late 30's to the mid 1950's.

 

[Kiros32]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Kiros,
I agree that the "MH" is just the maker's initials, but the similarity of the heart shapes and the location of the finds says to me they are a set, probably purchased together for a new mother and her child.
I think the odds of them both being "lost" so near each other are very slim.
Though morbid, the thought of the gravesites did pass my mind already.
My father last night handed me back the rings saying he had a bad feeling about them. Such comments are not like my father to make...

If you get a chance to go back, look around the area where the rings were found. Look for the remnants of grave markers, depressions in the ground, and possibly perennials, planted at the site that may be returning each year. These would certainly indicate burial sites.

Laundry is an interesting idea. Check the trees around the area for hooks or nails.

 

[Danimal]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Kiros...Oh...I'll be back there today at lunch in about 2 hrs!...and as far as depressions in the ground, etc, the ground here is filled with ruts and deep cracks from when the house and garage was torn down, as well and 2-5" diameter trees EVERYWHERE, making swinging a coil difficult (and making me wish I was using woreless headphones, as the coiled cable is continually being caught on branches and brambles).
I will look for the hooks on the larger, older trees.

 

[whites6000inPa]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were los

The MH hallmark was used by Moore and Hofman....who worked out of Newark, New Jersey from 1915-1922. I have a marines ring in Sterling with the same hallmark and have already researched it.

Wyatt

 

[Danimal]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Whites...

I looked into your comment about Moore Hofman, and found a page

http://www.chicagosilver.com/smarks3.htm

The "MH" mark shown there does not match the one on the rings. The ring's M and H are separated, and have arrows pointing at the initials from both sides.
Also, Moore and Hofman, according to that link, didn't make jewelry.

If you have a link can you share it?

 

[whites6000inPa]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were los

There's a bracelet....certainly jewelry by anybody's definition....here:

http://www.cooljools.com/IMAGES10/DecoRubyDiamBracelet.htm

At the bottom of this page, you will find the following:

: In the book, American Jewelry Manufacturers, by Dorothy Rainwater, on p. 175 there is a similar signature "MH", which states that the mark belongs to "Moore & Hofman" which operated in Newark, New Jersey from 1915 to 1922. Considering the brevity of operation under this signature, this bracelet is likely to be extremely rare.

There are other references....look up Moore and Hofman on the various search engimes and you will find them.

Wyatt

 

[Danimal]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Laundry is an interesting idea. Check the trees around the area for hooks or nails.

Checked today. No signs of hooks or nails in the older trees in the immediate area. I did run into a concentration of toy cars nearby at lunch today. Some old, some from 60's. It seems that perhaps the baby was a boy?? (ladies don't flame me...I know some of you played with toy cars!)

 

[JerV3]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were lost?

Nice rings and a cool story.

You just never know. I think of how and why things get lost where they do.

I've found thousands of old coins. Some in places you would never know people even were there. Or why were they there.

The hobby never gets old.

HH Jer

 

[Mirage]

Re: Matching baby and Mother's rings-what was the circumstance how they were los

Clueless here. Only thing I could think of is the wearing both on a string either for a necklace or bracelet. Of coarse just could have been lost separately years apart. Those are cool. If you just found one it wouldn't be as neat as finding both.

Nate and I found two 1937 dog tags in the same yard about 50 feet apart. both had the same license #. One was in a little better condition. So one would assume that the dog lost his tag and then lost the second one sometime at a later date.

Bob