What period is this ring from?

[Maron]

A friend found this ring in their garden the other day, searched the interned for days in order to find analogies, but nothing turned up. Even asked some friends who have more experience with such kind of finds: one of them said that it could be bronze age/Roman, the other said that it's from the 19th/early 20th century.

Some other additional information:

Material: the metal was oxidized black, so I suppose it is made of copper.
Location: Eastern Europe, the region was not part of the Roman Empire, there are mostly Bronze Age and Migration Period (mostly East Germanic tribes) archaeological sites around the area.

 

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[Vldetecting]

It's really hard to tell from the pictures you got, the information is good but more detailed photos would make it better to identify this find. If it would've been handmade I suggest that it's from late the European medieval era (c. 900 to 1500). But it could also be a new machine made ring from the last two centuries. Could you provide us with more details about how deep it was found in the ground, where it was found, how old the place was where your friend found it, were there any historical sites/places were people would've been visited where it was found and so on...

 

[Kray Gelder]

VERY interesting. I at first thought that was cuneiform writing on it, but it may be from the Vinca or early Danube culture from the Balkans. It predates cuneiform of the Sumerians. Apparently, this culture was one of the first to work with copper, and if authentic, could date to 3500 BC. Or, it could just be a replica. Some more good photos from different angles would be helpful. Thanks. Welcome.

 

[Itsmine]

Usually black oxidization indicates silver. Copper oxidizes green. I'd look to get it professionally cleaned.

 

[Clay Diggins]

There is virtually no natural wear on the piece so it's not old silver or copper. The patina doesn't look like either really old silver or copper. If it is really old it's probably iron. I've never seen an iron ring of that design before but that means nothing by itself. It looks like a modern design sterling ring to me.

Check it with a magnet. If it's magnetic you might have a very desirable ring worth researching. If it's not magnetic Occam's Razor leads to the conclusion it's modern.

 

[Kray Gelder]

There is virtually no natural wear on the piece so it's not old silver or copper. The patina doesn't look like either really old silver or copper. If it is really old it's probably iron. I've never seen an iron ring of that design before but that means nothing by itself. It looks like a modern design sterling ring to me.

Check it with a magnet. If it's magnetic you might have a very desirable ring worth researching. If it's not magnetic Occam's Razor leads to the conclusion it's modern.

Yeah Clay, this is another ask a question and disappear post, I think. I tend to agree with you on this ring.

 

[Maron]

Thanks for all of your valuable input! Unfortunately as of now I cannot provide better images about the ring.

Could you provide us with more details about how deep it was found in the ground, where it was found, how old the place was where your friend found it, were there any historical sites/places were people would've been visited where it was found and so on...

As far as I know, it was found while they were gardening, so maybe a few inches deep. The first written mention of the town is from the 14th century, which is the norm for this region. There have been found copper, bronze and iron age sites around the premises, but nothing historically important happened in these parts.

VERY interesting. I at first thought that was cuneiform writing on it, but it may be from the Vinca or early Danube culture from the Balkans. It predates cuneiform of the Sumerians. Apparently, this culture was one of the first to work with copper, and if authentic, could date to 3500 BC. Or, it could just be a replica.

Interesting proposition, I'll look into it more!

Usually black oxidization indicates silver. Copper oxidizes green. I'd look to get it professionally cleaned.

There is virtually no natural wear on the piece so it's not old silver or copper. The patina doesn't look like either really old silver or copper. If it is really old it's probably iron. I've never seen an iron ring of that design before but that means nothing by itself. It looks like a modern design sterling ring to me.

Unfortunately they took the cleaning into their own hands and put it into a bicarbonate sodium-vinegar-water solution for two weeks (yeah, I cringed as well). Probably that's why the ring looks so "new".

 

[popgabriel]

Hi, the current owner of the ring speaking, thanks sharing your thoughts. I have tested it and I can say it's not magnetic.

 

[popgabriel]

More information about the ring

Hi everyone!

I am the current owner of the ring (I have registered today) and didn't know about this thread, so I made one of my own where someone informed me about you guys here.

I want to thank you for your opinions and suggestions. I'll post a link here to the thread I made.(there are better pictures)

I'll also post some additional info here: the ring is non-magnetic and has found while ploughing the garden, so it was found at about two feet (aprox. 65 cm) deep, as that is how far the plough goes. As for the materials, it contains silver, but not in high quantities and I have a feeling we're dealing with an alloy where silver is around 50% (rough estimate) or lower here. The location of the garden is about 500 m from the place where the village had it's watermill from medieval times to the 19th century and about 300 from where landlords owning the village had a mansion. I know for sure that the last mansion was built in 1802, replacing an older one made of wood, and was demolished somewhere in the 1930's. Some of its ruins are still visible.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/w...king-ring-help-age-origin-identification.html

 

[popgabriel]

Here is a link to a thread I started myself without knowing about this one. There you will find more information and better pictures. Thank you all for your help.


http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/w...lp-age-origin-identification.html#post5852107