Jewellery help please.

[suzanne2812]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can get help on dating jewellery please?

My mum passed away last month. I have inherited several rings. I can only make out the dating on two. I took them to a jeweller in my local town & feel rather fobbed off. They talked down to me & did exactly what I have done & looked them up online  . They say they all date from the 70's, which is odd as my mum was the only girl & there was only my Nan & great gran, who at least one was meant to be hers.

Value isn't an issue, I just wanted to piece together their potential owners within the family. The people in the jewellers were dismissive. They profess to be insurance valuers too.

Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks, Suzanne.

[josey]

I suggest you get some sort of magnifying device & have a good look for a hallmark which you can then look up online.

[Maggsie]

Try here
https://thejva.org/
Maggsie

[josey]

Sorry to hear about your mother, Suzanne.

Trouble is valuers often charge as much as 10% of the value which is inflated anyway because they usually give insurance values. Sounds as though Suzanne isn't likely to sell them just wants some info.
Try posting a pic here if you feel comfortable doing that. 

[Viktoria]

Yes ,if you can send photos of the hallmarks I have a book of all gold ,silver and platinum marks from 1544 to 1984 plus Sheffield plate 1743 to 1860.
Each year is a different letter then after 26 years it starts again but letters of a different style .
Each Assay office has a different symbol ,London a leopard ,Chester three wheatsheaves ,Birmingham an anchor etc.

Be careful , often some valuers will want to buy,so it is in their interest to undervalue.
Viktoria.

[Little Nell]

Trying to look up hallmarks can be tricky if the ring is well worn.  There's no way I can see the hallmark on my mother's engagement ring since the band is less than half the width it once was.

Another possible approach: do you have any photos of the possible owners which might show them wearing a ring from which you might be able to match the ring to their owner?

Nell

[PurdeyB]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can get help on dating jewellery please?

My mum passed away last month. I have inherited several rings. I can only make out the dating on two. I took them to a jeweller in my local town & feel rather fobbed off. They talked down to me & did exactly what I have done & looked them up online  . They say they all date from the 70's, which is odd as my mum was the only girl & there was only my Nan & great gran, who at least one was meant to be hers.

Value isn't an issue, I just wanted to piece together their potential owners within the family. The people in the jewellers were dismissive. They profess to be insurance valuers too.

Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks, Suzanne.

I would say that 70s jewellery is distinctive. It was a time when jewellery was generally produced in a modern and new style rather than being a copy of past trends. You'll easily be able to find photos of typical styles online. If you know when your great grandmother likely got the ring, when she got engaged or married, for example, you could research typical designs for that time period and compare those photos with the rings you have.

I have rings from my mum which she got in the 60s, and others that she inherited from her great grandmother. They are very easy to tell apart.