Unique 14K Gold Double-Serpent Ring with Emerald and Ruby - Heavy Gold!!

[UnderMiner]

Was having a grand old time searching the low tide today. Was finding lots of clad, fishing sinkers, lures, and even a nice big crystal. Then I spotted a gold object that I immediately assumed to be just a gold-plated piece of costume junk, but I took out my camera and filmed the discovery anyway just in case it turned out to be something nice. Turned out to be a honking 7.5 gram 14K gold double-serpent ring. The two snakes of the ring each have one eye made out of a ruby and an emerald. A great start to the 2016 treasure hunting season! Besides the ring I also found about $2 in clad (most of it pennies, a few wheat cents in there too), and a bunch of random brass and copper things like boat cleats and sail rigging.

Edit: Just confirmed this ring is actually an engagement ring from the Victorian age. This was a long time before diamond engagement rings became popular. It is likely from the 1870's or 1880's. "The snake or serpent is a symbol of eternity and is also associated with several healing deities, including Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine. The rings were popular throughout the 19th century as a snake ring with emerald eyes was given to Queen Victoria as an engagement ring by Prince Albert in 1839."

An in-situ pic, and a pic of the ring's detail:

All the finds from today:

Front and back:

14K stamp and weighing on scale - 7.5 grams :

Video of me finding it:

Gold, clad, and crystal

 

[redcobra8u]

Who wears something like that lol? Congrats.

 

[ScubaDetector]

Gold is gold. Well done. Hopefully first of many more this season. So this was all eyeball finds?

 

[bill from lachine]

Good score on the serpent ring....sweet find.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[trapperart]

Nice bunch of finds congrats

 

[UnderMiner]

Gold is gold. Well done. Hopefully first of many more this season. So this was all eyeball finds?

In this place it's practically impossible to use a detector because of all the pollution, I tried it for awhile but it was hopeless, there is so much lead and aluminum here you cannot take a swing two inches without getting another signal. Lots of incinerator waste here too. It is possible to use a detector, but honestly, it's easier just to use more traditional methods.
In this particular area I just use my eyes, a gardening hoe, a trowel, and an understanding of nature, density, and physics.

 

[plymouthian12]

That's awesome mine had 2 rubies. There such gorgeous rings. Mine dated around 1870. Congrats great find

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Lol! Sounds like most of the places I hunt, full of trash & furnace debrie!
Congrats! Awesome gold find!

 

[JerV3]

That's a nice ring

HH Jer

 

[UnderMiner]

That's awesome mine had 2 rubies. There such gorgeous rings. Mine dated around 1870. Congrats great find

Thanks! I've been doing some research myself and it appears these rings were quite poplar from the mid to late 1800's.
Some sources say they were engagement rings, the two intertwined snakes representing the man and woman.
This was well before diamond rings became the default engagement ring to give.

 

[SusanMN]

Who wears something like that lol? Congrats.

Believe me, if I found that I would be wearing it in a heartbeat. That is a wonderful and unique ring.

 

[tanz 82]

Nice

 

[UnderMiner]

Believe me, if I found that I would be wearing it in a heartbeat. That is a wonderful and unique ring.

Agreed. I never found a ring this interesting and unique before.