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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 11401688, member: 2844&quot;]I would expect a ring once owned by Mirza Baba the Qajar court artist to have had a setting that was finished better, not as irregular. That said, the stone could have been reset after his lifetime, by someone who wasn&#039;t as well connected and well-off.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the late 18th century silversmiths (and authorities) in the Middle East generally used silver from Maria Theresia Thaler (MTT), Austrian silver coins with a fineness of .833, because those had a reliable fineness. So they would have used at least .833 during Mirza Baba&#039;s lifetime.</p><p>In the late 19th century Iran began to use .840 fineness marks, and later still .900 as well. The other countries in the region continued to use mostly MTT silver.</p><p>Non-silver jewellery was also made, just like anywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p>So they were fussy in the Middle East, they insisted on a coin with a reliable fineness as a source for their silver. And I would certainly expect a good fineness from a ring made for someone who worked at the Qajar court.</p><p><br /></p><p>The photos are very small, but it looks like the ring could be in the .830s.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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