Gold Ring found in Eastern Europe

[Emily81]

My husband found this ring in the early 1990's while digging in a garden in what today is Bosnia & Herzegovina. We have always been curious to find out information about it including how old it is or if it's worth anything. It was found not even a foot deep and it weighs a little over 13 grams. It has two stamps on it, one I'm fairly certain says "585" and the other I can't tell what it is numbers, letters or a symbol. I am curious to know about the lion on the front and if that means anything. I thought about taking it into a local jewelry store but I'm not sure if people do that or if they would look at me odd for bringing this in. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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[DevilDog812]

nice ring!
the only thing i know about is it is that 585 means 14kt gold

 

[Rasputin]

Great ring! A lion rampant was used in many family crests.

 

[oldcoon]

An interesting piece for sure. I would not speculate as to its age. If possible, go back and search that garden with a metal detector. I am thinking that ring, along with possibly other valuables, may have been hidden during the war. Good bet the owners never returned for them.

 

[Kenosha Kid]

585 (58.5%=14 ct.) is pretty much European/Russian (non-USA). The USA generally uses '14k'.

In 1932, British standards of 12 & 15 ct were abolished in favor of the 14 ct or 585 mark.

Russia switched from 583 to 585 around the time of the 'collapse' of the Soviet Union.

Germany ~ 1884 to present, usually carry only the maker's mark and a purity mark. Prior to 1884, each city had it's own town mark and guilds regulated the system. Purity was indicated in 'Löthig', 16 being pure, 13 = 812.5, etc.

The other "numbers, letters or a symbol" that you can't tell would most likely identify the maker, etc. and possibly be able to date the ring. Is there any way you can post a good close-up shot of the marks on the inside?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Great ring! A lion rampant was used in many family crests.

While it most resembles the lion rampant of Scotland,
considering where it was found, could it be the rampant lion of Bulgaria?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_(heraldry)

 

[Emily81]

I tried taking a close up picture of the two marks on the inside of the ring. One seems to be 585 and the other has a star and then possibly a V at the end??Thanks for all the great ideas. It does look a lot like the Bulgarian rampant.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Gold Hallmarks 101 http://www.canada-gold-buyers.com/gold-hallmarks.html#goldhallmarks


Ask the Hallmark Guru http://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com/antique-gold-hallmarks-question.html#INV

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Is there a tiny hammer and sickle on the star?

http://www.hallmarkresearch.com/html/archives.html

 

[lazooro]

Not sure if this is gold ring! To me looks more like some tombak.
I am from Bosnia and i know that Gypsies always were selling this stuff. ( always with knife scratching on chains - proving that they are selling real gold!)
Even i have one look alike with markings but still made from tombak and not from gold.

Balkan had no many rampant lions in heraldry.

Slovenian:
http://www.tu-je.si/slike/clanki/panterjpg.jpg

Bulgarian:
http://www.investbulgaria.com/pics/BulgarianCoatOfArmsL1.gif
http://img2.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=8_0108.jpg

Macedonian:
http://img2.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=8_0102.jpg
http://img2.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=8_bgll26.jpg

and some medieval Bosnian families:
http://img2.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=8_kotromanic.jpg
http://img2.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=8_brankovici.jpg

wish you luck and happy 2011

Lazar

 

[Kenosha Kid]

Is there a tiny hammer and sickle on the star?

http://www.hallmarkresearch.com/html/archives.html

"Do you know what is wrong with this mark and why?" For one, isn't the hammer and sickle supposed to be inside of the star? I know the star was used in the late 1950s. Even then, it was inside the star.

http://www.modernsilver.com/basichallmarks.htm (the very last link also confirms it began 1959)

The only other "star" used (for 585...some US silversmiths did but had 14k), that I know of, is by Italian makers (1968-present)...but, they used a star, then a number (ID of the silversmith) and then two letters (initials of the Province).

The middle mark on the ring is too well worn to guess what symbol it is. All links to a Russian hallmark indicate that 585 wasn't used until the late 1980s, at the earliest. The "v" (if it is?) could possibly mean Kiev.

Not sure if this is gold ring! To me looks more like some tombak.
I am from Bosnia and i know that Gypsies always were selling this stuff. ( always with knife scratching on chains - proving that they are selling real gold!)
Even i have one look alike with markings but still made from tombak and not from gold.

Lazar, you may just be right about the tombak !

tombak - an alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding.

This ring looks so worn down for something, that by all indications of the hallmarks, estimates it to be no older than 25 (?) years...

Emily 81 ~ Here's a few links about fake Russian hallmarks:

http://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com/russian-hallmarks-and-letter-marks-comments.html

http://knol.google.com/k/jewelry-of-the-soviet-union#

I'd either have it tested to see if it is actually gold and/or ask the Hallmark Guru (at the above link that bigcypresshunter provided).

 

[Emily81]

Thanks everyone for the great insight. I believe you both are correct about the tombak. When it was first dug up my husband thought it was copper due to the greenish colored oxidation, but neither of us have heard of tombak before today. Today in his lab he measured the density of it and figured out it was much less than what he would have expected with 14K gold. The ring itself seems to be tombak, but the rampant on the top is a different metal and appears to be gold, but at this point I'm not sure. I'm not going to bother with the mark research now that we have deemed it tombak...all the pieces seem to fit. Thanks again for your suggestions!