Garnet & Snake Gold Rings, ca. 1770
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GUEST:
My aunt passed away several years ago, and my cousin, who lives in Europe, has her jewelry. And one day when I was visiting he said, "Would you be interested having a couple of my mother's rings?" And I said, "Yes, I would love it." She was my favorite aunt.
APPRAISER:
Oh, well, that's a very nice keepsake to have. And where did your aunt live?
GUEST:
She lived in Holland, the Netherlands.
APPRAISER:
She lived in Holland, the Netherlands.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
I believe the ring must have been her husband's. But I'm not sure of that.
APPRAISER:
Well, they're two really lovely examples. And the reason why we're showing both of these is because they are similarly related in terms of time period. So the first ring here is a snake ring. And this is in gold. And the snake many times was used as a betrothal ring. It's a symbol of eternity, especially when the snake is biting its tail.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So eternal love, and the cycle of life. Beginning and end. So many times you see this symbol used. It's an ancient symbol, but you will see this even in 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
GUEST:
I love it, oh how nice.
APPRAISER:
So it's a lovely example here. This piece dates from about 1740 to 1760. So it's quite old. And they're quite rare. The next ring you brought here, this is a gentleman's ring.
GUESR: That's what I thought. I wasn't sure.
APPRAISER:
And this has a garnet in the center, it's a table-cut garnet.
GUEST:
It's a garnet.
APPRAISER:
And this would also date from the mid-1700 to late 1700s. So it's quite rare to find a ring in this good condition.
GUEST:
It could have been his father's, but I don't know.
APPRAISER:
And it was typically worn on the index finger.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So you can see there's a little bit of enameling work here. It's worn off over time, but it was engraved and enameled. But one of the really beautiful parts of this ring that I loved that got me...
GUEST:
Me too, me too.
APPRAISER:
...excited, was the background.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
So when you look behind the ring, you can see there's this engraved line that's been enameled on the inside.
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
And that's very indicative of rings of this particular period. And also it's a technique you do see with a lot of Dutch pieces. Now there are no hallmarks here, but that's not unusual.
GUEST:
Wow. I thought it was an initial, and then it's almost like a tattoo, you know, on the ring.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, it's a very delicate design.
GUEST:
Yeah, I love it. It's quite lovely.
APPRAISER:
Exactly. So I would say the items most likely are from Holland, they're Dutch in origin, or they could be from the continent, from Europe. So now in terms of value, if you had to go to a dealer in antique and estate jewelry who dealt in very fine pieces such as this, the snake ring I would estimate somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.
GUEST:
Really?!
APPRAISER:
Just because of rarity.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
You know, as I say, we never see these because they don't... typically don't survive. Survive, yeah. And this ring here-- with the garnet, the enamel, gorgeous piece-- I would estimate this at auction somewhere between $5,000 and $7,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
They're extremely fine examples.
GUEST:
Yeah. Thank you.
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