Featured Help with antique rose gold buckle ring

I found this ring today at a thrift store for $9.99 minus a 20% off coupon. I couldn't find any markings on it, but suspected it might be solid gold. I used my gold testing kit for only the second time and I think it's 14k gold (the last photo shows the testing stone, so I'm wondering if I'm interpreting it correctly).

I checked online for similar rings, and learned that Queen Victoria wore a buckle ring to represent her participation in the Order of Garter, and buckle jewelry was popular in both the Victorian and Georgian Eras.

My questions are: (1) Is it unusual or suspicious for a a ring like this to be unmarked? (2) Can I assume from my test that it's solid 14k rose gold (last photo shows testing stone)? (3) Was it most likely made in England? (4) Is it from the Victorian era--early, mid or late -- or possibly Georgian era? (5) Is it a woman's ring, or could it have been a man's ring? The size is about 7 1/2 and weighs 26.7 grams.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

nice find for pennies........

 

beautiful!

 

$9.99 minus 20%!

Debora

 

It certainly LOOKS like 14k or better from your photos! Great shots too, btw!
I think Victorian / Georgian too, the wearer would have certainly been a woman. It's got, what I would want to see in "use wear" and no markings doesn't surprise me. What a fabulous find!

 

Thank you so much for your information. You confirmed what I was hoping. Couldn't believe my luck. I usually don't look at rings because I'm more familiar with other types of vintage jewelry, but this one caught my eye.

 

Very nice find, good photos. I'd think Victorian: buckle rings and bracelets were common, and emblems of love between wearer and giver. The engraving looks a bit fancy for Georgian.

 

Wow. Nice find!

I remember getting a similar deal on a 19C unmarked Scottish Brooch at SAVERS. Side note: Appraised on Antiques Roadshow (when they were in town) for $700. This was in the "good old days" before all SAVERS jewelry was shipped out for online sales.

I loved telling people that I got it for $1.99 minus a 20% discount coupon.

 

Lucky you!!! I found my ring at Savers too. Have found a few other jewelry treasures there since they reopened.....fewer shoppers improve the odds.

 

I wish we had Savers here.... that is gorgeous, congratulations!

 

Thank you OBB. I appreciate your information.

 

Thank you Marko.

 

OMG!!! 26.7 grams! A smokin deal!

 

Similar rings I saw online seemed to be under 10 grams. It makes me wonder if this ring was specially made for a woman with larger than average hands for that era....even for me it's too large, too wide, and too thick to fit comfortably on my ring finger. Makes me wonder if it was made to wear on the index finger.

 

That’s a hell of a score! Looks good for gold to me. Maybe 15k? Haven’t been back to the thrift stores yet but I’m itching too. Figure inventory is high and shoppers low.

Edit: that does sound insanely heavy for a ring but I don’t own many from that era.

 

I do feel a little apprehensive about going into thrift stores, but I'm sticking mainly with the ones nearby in smaller communities. They don't have a lot of shoppers, but I always wear a mask, don't stay long, and use hand sanitizer when I get back to my car.

 

I realllly want to but since it’s not a necessary risk I haven’t. I’ll be wearing gloves when I do and an n95. That said I did hit two estate sales at the very end when they were just about empty of people. I figured that was a touch safer. Baby steps.

 

Men wore these as well.

 

Thank you for that information. It prompted me to look up average men's ring sizes, and found that US sizes 8 to12 are the most often purchased, so maybe 120-150 years ago a size 7 1/2 (O in UK) wouldn't be unusual for a man, especially a pinky ring. Wikipedia has a photo of Queen Victoria's son Prince Leopold wearing a pinky ring.

 

It's beautiful. Congratulations on your find!