A remarkable ring from the Georgian era fully inscribed with a name, date of death and age of death.

Sadly we cannot quite make out the name and our research on this individual has stalled for the time being.

However .. what we do know is that it dates to 1742 and is fully inscribed as such, along with what we believe to be “Coll: (for Colonel) Ja (probably an abbreviation for James or Jacob) Hala(d?)um? - ‘Obt’ 16th Sept 1742 - AET? 40yrs.

Crafted from gold that has been tested to 20ct yellow gold and centred with a foiled backed cabochon Garnet, closed backed with a typical, and beautiful ‘rayed butt’.
Flanking the Garnet are two small antique cut diamonds, old mine cuts or, we believe may be Peruzzi cuts, set in traditional silver settings typical or the era.
Distinctive ‘C curl’ head to shoulder junctions are present and the shank is engraved for its full circumference, with slight fading to the pattern only.

No evidence of repairs or resizing (see condition report below) which is quite remarkable for a ring of this - 282 year old age.

A true collectors piece, this special ring will be an asset to any collection.

** A similar example can be seen on page 32 of “Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830” by Ginny Reddington Dawes with Olivia Collings.

STONES
Garnet - approximately 5.3mm x 4.9mm
Diamond - each approximately 2.47mm x 2.11mm

MEASUREMENTS
East to west - 1.4cm
Width - 5.1mm
Rise - 4.7mm

WEIGHT
2.51 Grams

MARKS
Tested as 20ct gold
Inscribed ‘’Coll: Ja Halad??? Obt 16th Sept 1742 Age? 40’’,

SIZE
L or 16.3mm diameter US 5 3/4
Unadvisable to resize due to pattern and age

CONDITION
Very very good Georgian 282 year old condition. Garnet is is exceptional condition with almost no wear, marks, and certainly no chips, perfectly eye clean, and under loupe excellent also.  No indications of the garnet (or diamonds) being replaced, definitely original.  Diamonds show no chips viewed under loupe magnification, are well set and secure in their silver settings.  A gold junction below one diamond to one side has come away from shank (see photos), this appears stable and not a recent issue.  Shank engraving has slightly faded but still visible.  Inscription to inside shank is crisp but the ‘name’ is frustratingly hard to decipher….

A wondrous and early ring in quite remarkable condition for its 282 years.

Please note boxes are for display only unless otherwise stated.    
       

PERUZZI-CUT DIAMONDS

This particular shape of diamond is called the Peruzzi cut. The first brilliant cuts were introduced in the middle of the 17th century. Known as Mazarins, they had 17 facets on the crown (upper half).

They are also called double-cut brilliants as they are seen as a step up from old single cuts. Vincent Peruzzi, a Venetian polisher, later increased the number of crown facets from 17 to 33 (triple-cut or Peruzzi brilliants), thereby significantly increasing the fire and brilliance of the cut gem, properties that in the Mazarin were already incomparably better than in the rose.

Because the practice of bruting had not yet been developed, these early brilliants were all rounded squares or rectangles in cross-section (rather than circular). Given the general name of cushion—what are known today as old mine cuts—these were common by the early 18th century. (From:Wikipedia)