Info on old ring i found with unusual hallmarks

[tailormarc]

Hey guys, I was detecting a very old town here in W.A. There was a vacant bush block just out of the town. On this block i have so far found a 1910-1920 WW1 button and right next to the ring was a 1898 penny so Im hoping the ring will be much older. When i found the ring i thought it might of been a copper or brass home made ring so i chucked it in my bag and carried on. Got home and washed it off to then see hall marks. Sorry about the pics. I tried to get the hallmarks the best i could and im hoping someone can help. So far i can see a " W" and a star if thats any help

When i found it... crusty looking..
Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

 

[tailormarc]

Now i just noticed at the join where the hall marks are there is what looks like a flower or star????
Untitled by Marc Russo, on Flickr

 

[nucopia]

The Hall marks look to be for Silver need clearer images to be sure of what the marks are.
You could do a rubbing or make an impression and post a picture.
Here is a good site to start searching..
http://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html

 

[tailormarc]

Cheers mate, i did the bi-carb foil clean and it came up cleaner. Still not bright silver like silver i know but a jeweler on Facebook said its its pure silver it will be darker like this. Will try the rubbing and blue tack trick and post results

 

[tailormarc]

Interesting turn of events...Yesterday I took the ring to Prospectors patch in Midland to get it analysed to see what its made from . The results were not what I expected! It came back saying it was made from copper and zinc. I was disappointed, I couldnt figure out why so much effort was put into a ring made from such an alloy.
I was then advised that this actually is a rare item called Pinchbeck. Original 18th century hallmarked jewellery apparently is quite rare. They used to make this to imitate gold and so if they were robbed while travelling on stage coaches they give these imitations over as they look like hallmarked gold.
I found an almost exact one that sold online recently ( for quite a bit) with what looks like same hall marks and listed as 1700s. I have attached the images of the one I found.
Here is a link to the one I seen posted and sold online ....
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/217...gold-ring-18th-century?show_sold_out_detail=1

 

[tailormarc]

 

[YellowFever]

Killer find mate well done

 

[Danny13]

Yeah a magnificent find !