Pulsetrain - Finds from the bay

[pulsetrain]

Had some good finds a couple of weeks ago in a small cut at the beach.
One of the rings I found ended up being a lot older than I guessed.
Thought I'd post it up for anyone interested.

Only a small ring, heavy for it's size. Doesn't fit on my pinkie finger but weighing over 3 grams should be 22K, at least it has the right colour.


I'm guessing the stone could be a ruby or spinel. I don't think it is a garnet, they tend to get rounded edges and a frosted appearance after years in the sand.
Unfortunately the stone has taken a big hit and cracked. Found 2 heartbreakers in this cut, the other was an engagement ring with a missing stone.
I'd have to say the broken stone is the one that is more disappointing.



I didn't recognize the style of hallmarks and it took some detective work to track down the maker.


The maker was John de Gallais, from one of the Channel Islands (near France).
He had a few different hallmarks.


During his partnership with Thomas de Gruchy (1831-1846).


Second one is a spoon with an 1847 inscription, same hallmarks as the ring I found (after he took over the business).
Very similar to his original mark and the TDG mark is removed.


Third one is the trefoil design, registered in 1849 (in the yellow pic).

Hallmarks suggest the ring is from the late 1840's.
Also interesting is there is no mark for purity, did they only use 22K in those days?

During my searches, I wasn't able to find any examples of his gold rings.



I wonder if I have the only surviving example, kept safe all these years underwater on the other side of the world.

pt

 

[grubstake]

That's a fascinating find Paul, and an interesting backstory about such an obscure, regional maker. Was the silver ring also antique, or just a modern one?

 

[pulsetrain]

Hi grubstake, not sure if you are referring to the other "heartbreaker" ring.
That one was 9ct and only had a simple "9ct" stamp so it's a bit hard to tell how old it is.

There were a total of 8 gold rings found in that cut, the one I posted was the very last one to come out.
Right on the limit of what I could detect with the TDI / Sunray pro gold setup I used.

Most of the other rings were antique, some really nice ones in there.
I'll post some photos.

 

[pulsetrain]

Some of the other finds.
I was lucky to get 4 hunts in before the cut was sanded in.

First hunt was a couple of florins, a 9ct loveheart ring and a 9ct ankh.
(I didn't grab a pic for that trip but they are in the last photo).

Second hunt, I found the cut had deepened slightly.
One of the finds was a 9ct buckle ring and I was happy to tick that one off from my bucket list.
I found a few silver buckle rings, but never a gold one until now.
Also a nice rose gold art deco signet ring.
Unfortunately, the ring with the black onyx was damaged by the SITO scoop.
It got caught in the SITO logo and stretched the shank.



Third hunt, a Rodd 9ct signet and a 9ct heartbreaker missing the stone.
Best find was the 15ct buckle ring, can't believe another one popped up.


Fourth hunt was the 1840's ring I first posted.
I returned for a fifth hunt, but unfortunately sand had moved in and pushed the shoreline out by several metres.


All cleaned up


I had a great time hunting that spot, they are getting harder and harder to find these days!

pt