✅ SOLVED Best Guess - Napkin Ring? Real Silver?

[listerr]

Hello all. I dug this on a site where a home built in 1870 still stands. My best guess is a napkin ring but I'm not sure. The engraved name is George. I know all of the families that live here since the home was built. One George was here from 1870-1886 but he was a farmer. The second George was here from 1892-1915. His family was quite wealthy. The last George lived here from 1972-1982. I've examined the ring for stamp marks but I cannot find any. It is lightweight and flexible and really shiny inside the ring. I haven't tested it with acid, but it's not magnetic, it doesn't have an odor, and it melts ice quickly and the whole ring gets cold. It rang up in the 80s on my Garret 300. As for the split on the side, I read somewhere that it may have been caused by the ground freezing.

My questions are 1) Is this a napkin ring?; 2) Best guess on time period?; and 3) Real silver?

 

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[listerr]

Better pic of the name and font:

 

[DCMatt]

Ferrule for a cane?

 

[listerr]

Ferrule for a cane?

View attachment 1456741

Thanks dcmatt. But the ring seems too large in diameter for a cane.

 

[Breezie]

Generally the hole in a Victorian napkin ring measures between 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches. What is the diameter of yours?

Neat find,
Breezie

 

[listerr]

Generally the hole in a Victorian napkin ring measures between 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches. What is the diameter of yours?

Neat find,
Breezie

Hi, Breezie! It's a bit distorted but looks to be about 1 3/4 inches.

 

[Breezie]

Hi, Breezie! It's a bit distorted but looks to be about 1 3/4 inches.

In that case, I do think it is a napkin ring.

Neat find
Breezie

 

[Carolina Tom]

If it was "in" the ground, and looks that good... it's bound to be silver. The gray/black tarnish also looks correct.

Take pics with the light coming over your shoulder, so that we can see the details better. From what I can see, it looks like the name is hand engraved (as opposed to a machine)... which would indicate that it was old.

I believe that you have a 100 year hand engraved piece of silver. Congrats to you sir!

 

[nhbenz]

With the split, and lack of markings I wonder if it was broken off of a figural napkin ring, with the marks having been on the other piece.

 

[listerr]

If it was "in" the ground, and looks that good... it's bound to be silver. The gray/black tarnish also looks correct.

Take pics with the light coming over your shoulder, so that we can see the details better. From what I can see, it looks like the name is hand engraved (as opposed to a machine)... which would indicate that it was old.

I believe that you have a 100 year hand engraved piece of silver. Congrats to you sir!

Thanks, Carolina Tom! But...I'm a lady.
I'll take some more pics with better lighting. The name "George" does appear to be hand engraved and it was in the ground about 5 inches down sitting there in a cookie cutter position. It really is neat. But it's not the first engraved silver item I've found on this site. Crazy!

 

[listerr]

With the split, and lack of markings I wonder if it was broken off of a figural napkin ring, with the marks having been on the other piece.

Thanks, nhbenz! I read about another silver napkin ring splitting because of the ground freezing. Though I will say the split ends don't match up. Not sure if that's because of contraction or whatever...or like you said, a missing piece like the figural. I searched everywhere in the area but no dice.

 

[listerr]

Here is another pic that shows the detail a bit better.

 

[4x4x4]

....Would George have his first name on a napkin ring ? How about a decorative collar for a decanter ?

 

[listerr]

....Would George have his first name on a napkin ring ? How about a decorative collar for a decanter ?

Hi, 4x4x4. Your suggestion is a good one; though the ones I've seen are flared at the top. But it's a candidate! By the way, Ebay has a bunch of napkin rings with men's names engraved on them. So, I think I'll mark this solved - either napkin ring or decanter collar. Thanks everyone!