childs lovely gold ring with glass top with a bird made out of feathers?

[jimmy uk]

hi can some tell me what age could this be.. its lovely my friend found it years ago

[talesofthesevenseas]

DROOOOOOOL!!! That is one of the most awesome rings I have ever seen, hands down. Very VERY cool. It reminded me instantly of the style of mourning jewelry rings where a braided lock of hair or sometimes a little miniature skeleton were set under glass. I just saw a good example the other day, let me see if I can't "dig it up"...

[talesofthesevenseas]

Also it is probably not a child's ring but a woman's. Women had smaller more slender fingers and it is not unusual to see a woman's ring from the Victorian era that would only fit on the little finger of a modern woman.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Couldn't find the example I was looking for but here are several mourning rings for comparison. Yours does not appear to be symbolic of mourning, but the locket style is very similar, and I have seen birds used to depict the deceased spirit flying free. The yellow color I think indicates it is not for mourning. As you can see mourning jewelry is HIGHLY collectable and desireable. I bet yours will be too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Georgian-Mourning-Ring-18K-Dated-1788-/370290484272?pt=Vintage_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item5637086430

http://cgi.ebay.com/Richard-Collins-1777-Citrine-Seal-Mourning-Ring-/190450090960?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_VintageFineJewellery_CA&hash=item2c57b5c3d0

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-ENGLISH-9K-GOLD-MOURNING-LOCKET-RING-c1898-/290455743541?pt=Vintage_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item43a082ec35

[talesofthesevenseas]

Looking at it again, the bird is on a black background. This could very well be mourning jewelry. I'm not seeing anything like this in searches I'm running. I think you may have something VERY special here and I would recommend getting it looked at by an antique jewelry specialist who deals in mourning jewelry to get a good appraisal. I could be wrong, I'm not an expert but I think you've got a mourning ring that is (pardon the pun) "to die for"!!!!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Here's the skeleton mourning ring that I wasn't able to find earlier. $5,500 is the asking price on this guy.
http://www.rubylane.com/item/20735-3315/Mourning-Jewelry-Memorial-Jewelry-Stuart

[waywardangler]

Good advice,talesofthesevenseas, on getting this ring looked at.  I know little about this type of stuff and would like to know more.  I hope jimmy posts the findings. 

[wendy177]

I would agree with Tales & Wayward  have it looked at by someone who specializes in antique jewelry. I have found  references to some pendants like your ring. I believe yours to  be from the same time frame c 1915-1917 as these pendants.  your ring is probably 10k gold, The pendants had a thin layer of mother of pearl in the center and glass on both sides, the mother of pearl in the center allowed for both sides to have a decoration of a bird with real feathers. These have much more detail but the size is larger than a ring to work with. value above $300.00 for the pendants. probably more for a ring as I have not seen one like it referenced in any of my books or on-line. Really beautiful find.

[jimmy uk]

thanx everyone i found it a few years ago its got 15ct stamped on it and thats it so i guess its not where im from the uk :-/

[talesofthesevenseas]

15ct is 15 carat gold. "ct" is used in the UK and your ring dates from sometime between 1854 and 1932. This article will explain:
http://www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/Hallmarks_on_period_jewelry

Here's a quote from the article:

Up to 1854 the legal standards for gold were 18ct and 22ct. In 1854 these standards were broadened with 15ct, 12ct and 9ct.
In 1932 the 12ct and 15ct standards for gold were abolished in favor of the 14ct mark. For Scotland and Ireland the marks and standards are marginally different.

and...

In the USA the karat weight is abbreviated as "k", while in Great Britain it is abbreviated as "ct", which provides for a good clue to the possible origin.

This is a very good article, worth the read.

[hosman321]

SUPER cool ring!! But the skeleton is from the 1600's and is probably much more rare and valuable.

[talesofthesevenseas]

1600's? Wouldn't we see a lot more deterioration of the feathers?

[hosman321]

I meant the skeleton one lol. I'm so bad lately with saying what I mean.

[talesofthesevenseas]

LOL or did I totally read it wrong because I'm at work and having to skim the posts quickly?!!!

[hosman321]

No, I went back and changed it. You're not crazy, I promise.