Real Piece of Spanish Treasure Found!!!

[j.d. in the usa]

Hi everyone, I found this ring on a 300 yr. old estate. I was walking between a lane of large oak trees, I found a crotal bell at 1 in. and was excited since it was my first... I walked about another 2 ft. and got a dime signal 3in. down I dug and found a 1773 spanish 1/2 reale, as I stood up I went back over the hole with my detector and it bounced back between button and quarter at 6in. depth in the same whole, I started to dig and hit 2 large tree roots I dug under the root and out popped the ring 3in. lower in the same whole than the reale, it was very encrusted with dirt and at first I thought it was a button but the dirt came off easy and I saw it was a gold ring I turned it around and there was sunlight going through the trees and when it hit the emeralds they just shined I also found a royal Spanish seal nearby.
I took it to 2 jewelers, the first said it couldnt be old because the emeralds were fake, but they were the best fakes he's ever seen. about 2 days later he called me back and offered me $100.00 for the ring because he wanted to show his apprentices a good quality fake.
The second said it was real and old and very rare because of the marque cut emeralds he said the marking on it was a hallmark and he could tell me the makers name that they didnt use karats when it was made, but thats all the info I got he wanted me to pay $500.00 to give me an official appraisal and info. I dont have that type of money laying around so I never did it, I was cleaning my stuff and I figured I'd show it here.

I took it to an antique jewelry dealer today, at first he looked disinterested in the ring.. he then looked at it under a microscope for about 10 min. it was driving me nuts lol lol, he then did 2 tests on it with some chemicals he was very scientific about it... after about 20 min... he walks over to us and says "I hope you have a safety deposit box, what you have here is real spanish treasure". and he told me the emeralds were real and of very high quality and color and it has 56 facets.. he then pulled out a book and tracked down the hallmark it was made in spain between 1760-1795, then he gave me this info, The 18th Century was a period of great change for the manufacturers of jewelry, for at the turn of the century, a Venetian Lapidary named Vincenzo Peruzzi invented the 56 faceted brilliant cut for stones which is still used today. It replaced the duller 16 faceted Mazarin cut of the previous century and launched diamonds to the forefront of jewelry design for the next 100 years. Metal work receded into the background almost completely and metals were used exclusively as inconspicuous back settings for diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires.

The amount they charge for a written appraisal is astronomical!! I have no intention of selling it, needless to say we went and bought a safe today and my kids are already fighting over who's gonna inherit it. lol lol hh all jd

the pics are of the ring and the royal spansh seal....

Now is it 100% I personally cant say... I was told it was fake and I was told it was old... I want to beleive it is old and real spanish treasure!!

 

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[j.d. in the usa]

Thanks everyone although the spanish were here in Mo. in the 1530's this stuff was not found in Missouri. the estate is a historicaly significant site and I cannot give anymore information on it at this time.

heres some info on Mo. that may help.

Spanish in Missouri

Hernado de Soto led the largest expedition in 1537 of both the 15th century and the 16th century through what would become the Southeastern United States and what is now Mid-Missouri establishing trading posts and searching for gold and silver and other valuable goods. He is presumed to have died in 1542 on the banks of the Mississippi River near present-day Lake Village, Arkansas.

French Exploration and Settlement

In 1632 when the French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet descended the Mississippi River, followed by Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, who claimed the whole area drained by the Mississippi River for France, calling the territory Louisiana. When the French explorers arrived the area was inhabited by Native Americans of the Osage and the Missouri groups, and by the end of the 17th cent. French trade with the Native Americans flourished.

In the early 18th cent. the French worked the area's lead mines and made numerous trips through Missouri in search of furs. Trade down the Mississippi prompted the settlement of Ste. Geneviève about 1735 and the founding of St. Louis in 1764 by Pierre Laclede and René Auguste Chouteau, who were both in the fur-trading business. Although not involved in the last conflict (1754–63) of the French and Indian Wars, Missouri was affected by the French defeat when, in 1762, France secretly ceded the territory west of the Mississippi to Spain. In 1800 the Louisiana Territory (including the Missouri area) was retroceded to France, but in 1803 it passed to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

French influence remained dominant, even though by this time Americans had filtered into the territory, particularly to the lead mines at Ste Geneviève and Potosi. By the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition (1803–6), St. Louis was already known as the gateway to the Far West.
Territorial Status and Statehood

The U.S. Territory of Missouri was set up in 1812, but settlement was slow even after the War of 1812. The coming of the steamboat increased traffic and trade on the Mississippi, and settlement progressed. Planters from the South had introduced slavery into the territory, but their plantations were restricted to a small area. However, the question of admitting the Missouri Territory as a state became a burning national issue because it involved the question of extending slavery into the territories. The dispute was resolved by the Missouri Compromise, which admitted (1821) Missouri to the Union as a slave state but excluded slavery from lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of lat. 36°30'N. (All of Missouri lies north of 36°30' except for the southeastern “bootheel.”)

Slaveholding interests became politically powerful, but the state remained principally a fur-trading center. In 1822, W. H. Ashley (who later made a fortune in fur trading) led an expedition of the adventurous trappers who became known as mountain men up the Missouri River to explore the West for furs. From Missouri traders established a thriving commerce over the Santa Fe Trail with the inhabitants of New Mexico, and pioneers followed the Oregon Trail to settle the Northwest. Franklin, Westport, Independence, and St. Joseph became famous as the points of origin of these expeditions.

Settlement of Missouri itself quickened, spreading in the 1820s over the river valleys into central Missouri and by the 1830s into W Missouri. The boundaries of the state were formed after Native Americans gave up their claim to Platte co. in 1836; this strip of land in the northwest corner of Missouri was added to the state. Mormon immigrants came to settle Missouri in the 1830s, but their opposition to slavery and their growing numbers made them unwelcome and they were driven from the state in 1839. German immigrants, however, were cordially received during the 1840s and 50s, settling principally in the St. Louis area.
Slavery, Civil War, and a New Missouri

In 1854 the problem of slavery was made acute with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, leaving the question of slavery in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to the settlers themselves. The proslavery forces in Missouri became very active in trying to win Kansas for the slave cause and contributed to the violence and disorder that tore the territory apart in the years just prior to the Civil War. Nevertheless Missouri also had leaders opposed to slavery, including one of its Senators, Thomas Hart Benton.

During the Civil War most Missourians remained loyal to the federal government. A state convention that met in Mar., 1861, voted against secession, and in 1862 the convention set up a provisional government. Guerrilla activities persisted during this period, and the lawlessness bred by civil warfare persisted in Missouri after the war in the activities of outlaws such as Jesse James.

A new Missouri rose out of the war—the semi-Southern atmosphere, along with the river life and steamboating, began to decline, but the flavor of the period was preserved in the works of one of Missouri's most celebrated sons, Mark Twain. The coming of the railroads brought the eventual decay of many of Missouri's river towns and tied the state more closely to the East and North. Urbanization and industrialization progressed, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held at St. Louis in 1904, dramatically revealed Missouri's economic growth.
Political History

Since the brief period of radical Republican rule from 1864 to 1870, Missouri has been permanently wedded to neither major party. While tending toward the Republicans in the days of Theodore Roosevelt, it turned solidly Democratic for Franklin D. Roosevelt and helped to elect Missourian Harry S. Truman to the presidency in 1948. Political machines in the large cities have attracted national attention, notably the machine of Thomas J. Pendergast (1872–1945) in Kansas City. Missouri has contributed to the United States such outstanding statesmen as Champ Clark, James Reed, and W. Stuart Symington. Thomas Hart Benton, a descendant of the Missouri Senator of the same name, was one of the country's important artists.

 

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[gemee]

JD, that ring simply is no older than the 1850's. If I were to wager money, I would estimate it to be 1880-1910, by the setting, and the cut of the stones. You evidently did not read my earlier post, about getting a qualified historic appraiser to look at your items. Don't rely on the opinion of a local jeweler!
As for the second item....WOW...WOW...WOW. This is an important piece, and I would not screw around asking opinions on a chat board, but would make contact with a professional in the historic and antiquities field.

 

[j.d. in the usa]

thanks gemee that emerald ring was the first ring I found I would have been happy if it was just 10 years old .

so far heres the stats on the emerald ring from jewelry experts lol lol:

2 people 1790-1830
3 people 1820-1850
4 people 1810-1840
2 people 1860-1890
1 person 1960-1980
1 person cracker jack box
1 person said "they have proof its fake and from a 10c vending machine in chicago" I never heard from this person again hehehehe

thanks on the second piece too!!

 

[trubl1096]

That is some of the best finds and the story behind it is great. WOW what a find.

 

[Thorgrim]

I see that this thread has sort of changed direction but I want to say congrats on the ring and seal. Just a quick look at that ring and I knew it was real. Very impressive, the sort of treasure I hope to find one day.

 

[texan connection]

I'm Taking my pile of clad and going home Ya'll are asume

 

[Yarrum]

I know a little about jewellry, and if nothing else you can tell that there is some age to the ring.
The reason is the wear to the gold on the stone settings and the wear to the actual stones themselves. Gemstones will only generally wear or chip on coming into contact with the same or harder stones than themselves. I've seen quite a few loose sapphires, diamonds etc that have worn slightly over the years from being kept together in a small pouch.
If in fact it is real, you have yourself a wonderful treasure there and the find of a lifetime.
Thanks for sharing.
HH

 

[ivan salis]

way to go ---use the seal see what it says --might give a clue to owner

the seal might be a "special" one which could help you figger out who the ring owner was.

 

[dr-quest]

Hey JD,I guess your feeling better.The new prize is a watch fob chain and pocket watch,my guess is rubys and diamonds and date ? well about 1820-1845?.Worth a small fortune with those stones.Now dont tell me that was dug out of the ground.By the way beautiful ring and when I have more time I will try to read all the you and Doc post
Happy Hunting all

 

[diveguide]

How about an update on this, it's been since Sept. JD.

 

[Southern_Boy]

Hi:

One day you will want that written appraisal, no matter what the cost. It will benefit you for insurance and will add authenticity to your claim. Still Love the story and really liked the pictures.

 

[aleman]

Hello JD,
I only now read about your ring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What I find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was wondering aswell if there's an update............. aleman

 

[Relic_hunter1557]

Hey JD,I guess your feeling better.The new prize is a watch fob chain and pocket watch,my guess is rubys and diamonds and date ? well about 1820-1845?.Worth a small fortune with those stones.Now dont tell me that was dug out of the ground.By the way beautiful ring and when I have more time I will try to read all the you and Doc post
Happy Hunting all

Ya i'll agree on the pocket watch and fob but it seems to be more of a ladies watch, maybe. I just read about the ring now and i think that's an amazing find! I hope we can get an update.

 

[Capefearsman]

Beautiful ring and pics great story congrats

 

[txkickergirl]

ahhh I can picture it now..A Spanish maiden sitting under a tree writing her beloved who she was forbidden to ever see again. She has the ring in her hand clinging to it, as if her love would somehow appear, tears sliding down her face, when suddenly she is discovered and a vicious argument with her father erupts. In an emotional out burst paper, seal, and ring are flung in the air. The young woman searches until lines crease her face and age bestows its envy. Even now you can hear her faint sobbing through the trees, ever searching for her lost trinket.

Ok, couldn't resist the image just popped into my head. Super cool ring and best of luck getting a correct appraisal. I would not sell it either.

 

[ecastro111]

Simply amazing, J.D.


Hey Dawn,
Its good to see people from RGV.

Ernie

 

[cole1]

Just my opinion from someone who does quite a bit of jewelry shopping...the emeralds have six prongs around each stone. That's a dead give away that they are real. Costume or fake jewelry rarely has more than 4 prongs as they didn't want to waste the metal or gold for something that if it fell out of the setting, really didn't have any value. Also, the prongs looks to be gold as well. Again, rarely would you see the prongs in yellow gold. Usually prongs are white gold or some other metal as again, gold was a high commodity. Congratulations on your find!

 

[artemis moon]

You just don't see gemstones of that quality anymore-the depth of the green in the emeralds takes your breath away. Good luck and let us know how it all turns out!

 

[BigRon]

Great finds JD!
You asked what that one hunk of jewelry was used for? Propably one heck of a one night stand!!

 

[captain Jack]

yowzah!!