markings inside gold ring? **UPDATED PICS**

[Goes4ever]

I found this ring today, I believe the outside to be copper, inside 18k gold, do you know anything about these markings? looks like a cat and a crown

**UPDATE.............I took a new pic today after I polished it, the copper color is all gone and the outside is as shiny gold as the inside now, so the person who said the gold was only plated and worn off was not correct at all!

 

[Goes4ever]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Congrats because that's a really nice find, 18 K finds are few and far between!

thank you very much, here is the story and the other finds from that day if you care to read it
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,154806.0.html

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Lads, I am familiar with hallmarks from this part of the world, and that is an 18 k solid gold ring. As an earlier poster said, the gold appears more orange because it is alloyed with copper as opposed to silver, etc. That's common for English gold jewelry. Great find!

OKay, why would it have come out of the ground green?

Because the gold is alloyed with copper, it's 75% gold and 25% copper, and it was in the ground for a long time.

you are the second person to tell me this today about it being alloyed with copper, and yes it WAS in the ground for a long time!

Im sorry, but I believe ALL gold is alloyed with some copper, unless it is pure 24K gold, which is very rare, or "white gold." I have never seen 14K or 18K turning green. 24K is pure gold, others are alloyed, but do not turn green. We must have a jeweler here at TN to clear this up. Or you could take it to a pawn shop to have it tested and please let us know the results. I wish you the best and you have some very nice finds either way.
http://www.jewellerycatalogue.co.uk/gold_jewellery/gold_alloys.php

 

[JiminSD]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Lads, I am familiar with hallmarks from this part of the world, and that is an 18 k solid gold ring. As an earlier poster said, the gold appears more orange because it is alloyed with copper as opposed to silver, etc. That's common for English gold jewelry. Great find!

OKay, why would it have come out of the ground green?

Because the gold is alloyed with copper, it's 75% gold and 25% copper, and it was in the ground for a long time.

you are the second person to tell me this today about it being alloyed with copper, and yes it WAS in the ground for a long time!

Im sorry, but I believe ALL gold is alloyed with some copper, unless it is pure 24K gold, which is very rare, or "white gold." I have never seen 14K or 18K turning green. 24K is pure gold, others are alloyed, but do not turn green. We must have a jeweler here at TN to clear this up. Or you could take it to a pawn shop to have it tested and please let us know the results. I wish you the best and you have some very nice finds either way.
http://www.jewellerycatalogue.co.uk/gold_jewellery/gold_alloys.php

There are numerous metals that can be alloyed with gold (copper, zinc, silver being the most common but many others can be used including iron and aluminium). I would agree that 14-18kt gold would not turn green under normal atmosphere conditions and pure gold will not tarnish but lower karat gold can definately tarnish in the ground and even low karat gold jewelry that is heavly scratched can tarnish in the atmosphere. I am not sure what geochemical reactions could be taking place between the clay minerals in the ground and the gold alloys.

 

[DJ_Quinn]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

All I have to say is that the hallmark is for 18 k. I'm sure a jeweler will confirm this for him.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Does English gold turn green?

 

[DJ_Quinn]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Does English gold turn green?

Only if it travels to Ireland.

 

[generik]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Google "gold hallmarks"

Why do you say copper and gold? Inquiring minds want to know.

This is great advice if you are looking for greetings cards...

 

[Vrent]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

a 18k ring should not come out of the ground green, there are a number of reasons while a ring marked 18k would. the hallmarks are counterfeit or perhaps and this is a stretch, the ring was enameled in a former life and they electroplated it with copper as a base for the enamel. another is the soil conditions, are you sure the ring was green? and if so did it appear near a coin or was there any indication that there may have been something else buried with it that was lost at the same time, that would have caused the green?
you have a puzzle there, but the hallmarks do say 18k, put it on your finger and wear it for a few days, see if it turns green again. it may turn your finger green, but gold does that to some folks, but see if the ring turns green. or else go to a jeweler or pawn shop and have them check it out.
either way you have a nice hallmarked ring, if it is real that is a good find, if it is a counterfeit then you have a collectible item with a story also a cool find.

HH Vrent

 

[Ant]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

The hallmark only says 18, not 18k.
All you have to do is look at the rings I have posted and make a judgment from that. The 10k gold US standard (same as 42% gold) will not turn green under normal conditions. It will tarnish, but it will not turn green, pit or corrode.

This watch chain came out of the ground with green verdigris copper crystals creeping onto the chain. It turned out to be a heavy electroplated chain with a base metal of copper. From indicators in the area it had been in the ground at least 70 to 60 years.

If you soak a gold plated ring in household ammonia that has a base metal of copper, the ammonia will turn green, that’s an easy test.

I could post at least a dozen more gold rings, 10k and purer that I recovered from dry land, like the others, and that had been buried at least 50 years or longer. And they all came out of the ground looking like the ones I have already posted. Also, other metals such as copper will not radiate out onto gold and stick.

If you like you can look at the original thread that I posted the chain in:
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,126843.msg934599.html#msg934599

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Does English gold turn green?

Only if it travels to Ireland.

This debate could go on forever. The ring should be taken to a reputable jeweler for testing. Only then will the answer be known.

i hope you will tell us the verdict.

 

[mickk]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

This is an easy one. From 1798 to 1854 or 1974 in some cases, the 18 carat standard of gold was indicated as the crown and the 18, these are English marks, english gold. that just leaves the Lion. The Lion passant was used for gold and sterling silver until 1798. The Lion was on gold in the 1500s till 1798, so it could be a 1500s ring remodelled 200 years later. Or it couild be something totally different, lol.

So its old, its valuable, but you need an expert.

 

[Goes4ever]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

This is an easy one. From 1798 to 1854 or 1974 in some cases, the 18 carat standard of gold was indicated as the crown and the 18, these are English marks, english gold. that just leaves the Lion. The Lion passant was used for gold and sterling silver until 1798. The Lion was on gold in the 1500s till 1798, so it could be a 1500s ring remodelled 200 years later. Or it couild be something totally different, lol.

So its old, its valuable, but you need an expert.

that totally confused me!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

This is an easy one. From 1798 to 1854 or 1974 in some cases, the 18 carat standard of gold was indicated as the crown and the 18, these are English marks, english gold. that just leaves the Lion. The Lion passant was used for gold and sterling silver until 1798. The Lion was on gold in the 1500s till 1798, so it could be a 1500s ring remodelled 200 years later. Or it couild be something totally different, lol.

So its old, its valuable, but you need an expert.

that totally confused me!

Me, too, but I didn't want to admit it. Did you get your ring to a jeweler yet? That would settle this once and for all. We're dying to know. I hope it's genuine.

Me three. We are all hoping for you, but it really needs tested and I hope you will let us know the results.

 

[Ant]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

I have 100’s of gold finds and I know how gold reacts. It does not turn green or react to our environment. That’s one of the reasons it’s such a sought after precious metal. Now if the ring did not have a green coating I would say that it’s gold, but in a subsequent thread it was said that the ring came out of the ground with the inside of band being shiny, and the outside coated green. That’s not how gold reacts. If the inside of the band is lined it would be noticeable.

I asked a question early that wasn’t answered. The question was, “how much effort did it take to get the ring to look like that”?


Its plan and simple, if it came out of the ground with a green coating it's not solid (24k) or alloyed 10k gold or purer. Anyone who collects gold like me will tell you that. Just soak it in household ammonia and you'll see the solution start to turn light blue, to a progressively darker green. No need to take a ring that was coated green to have it tested, just soak it in household ammonia. You can also test it with metal or chrome polish. Just polish the ring with a clean cotton cloth and if the cloth keeps turning black or dark green after three cleaning or so it’s not gold.

 

[Goes4ever]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

ammonia does not turn green, and I polished it and clean cloth does not turn black or green. I will try to get it to a jeweler this weekend

 

[Ant]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

ammonia does not turn green, and I polished it and clean cloth does not turn black or green. I will try to get it to a jeweler this weekend

It takes a several hours to 24 for the ammonia to start changing. Sometimes you can notice it start to change in a couple of hours of so, this change only occurs with copper as far as I know, brass or bronze has no effect. The cloth test needs to be done with chrome or metal polish.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

Try Brasso.

 

[Vrent]

Re: markings inside gold ring?

but it may have been plated at some point...folks have and do plate over gold....they also enamel....gold can turn green in either of these cases
as for alloy composition. there a number of different formulas for 18k gold depending upon what color you want it to be, you can have sunshine yellow, orange, white, rose, peach and even green. then you can get into dental golds which also have their own colors and compositions. jewelery is also at time made from dental gold ,too. the hallmarks indeed indicate 18k gold, and if the age hallmark is accurate, you may have a piece of gold that was alloyed by the smith to his own recipe. it may even be a case of counterfeiting hallmarks.
a decent jeweler or pawn shop will tell you. I am more interested in why did the outside come out of the ground green, there has to be a reason, or some sort of outside influence.

ant can I have your reject gold?

 

[Goes4ever]

has anyone looked at the updated photo in first post?

 

[Montana Jim]

has anyone looked at the updated photo in first post?

Yep... I did...