Old Ring

[Gilbey]

This may not be the place to ask, but I'll give it a shot. I have a ring that was passed down to me when my grandfather passed away. It's stupid of me not to ask questions while he was alive. All I know is that he was so proud of this ring and wore it everyday till the day he died. His background: He was an Electrical Engineer graduate of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the early 30's. Could it be some kind of class ring? Fraternity ring? I don't know. I thought anyone might have seen something similar. The ring is in 18K Yellow Gold, but the cameo itself is not gold but of a different material like alabaster. Thanks.

 

[Miss Brill]

Hmmm, I think class rings usually have something--a shield, or name, or numbers--to mark them. I've never seen anything like this, and the male "cameos" I have seen usually have Roman-type faces (is that Roman?). It is pretty though!

 

[Gilbey]

Hmmm, I think class rings usually have something--a shield, or name, or numbers--to mark them. I've never seen anything like this, and the male "cameos" I have seen usually have Roman-type faces (is that Roman?). It is pretty though!

Thanks Miss Brill. I don't know if it's Roman, but if someone could identify the image, we might be getting close.

 

[Feraud]

The helmet looks Greek.

 

[MudInYerEye]

Mexican souvenir ring. I see 'em all the time at flea markets and antique shows. Very popular 50-60 years ago. There were a variety of motifs but that one, the Conquistador, was the most popular. They were also made in brass, copper, and rose gold.

 

[Spitfire]

lol Do't believe him!
Both the helmet and the beard looks greek - romans had no beards.
Must be some greek mythology person.

 

[MudInYerEye]

lol Do't believe him!
Both the helmet and the beard looks greek - romans had no beards.
Must be some greek mythology person.

[I should know what I'm talking about.] I've been collecting these these rings for several years.

EDITOR'S COMMENT: I deleted that part of Mud's post that was rude and unnecessary. MUD: these snide asides aren't expanding your circle of friends. Cease and desist, please.

 

[Zemke Fan]

An MIT engineer myself...

[My grandfather] was an Electrical Engineer graduate of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the early 30's. Could it be some kind of class ring?

... the MIT class ring is affectionately called a "brass rat" and features a beaver chewing on a branch:

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

Is there any kind of insignia/stamp on the inside of the band?

 

[Gilbey]

Is there any kind of insignia/stamp on the inside of the band?

There is a signature engraved but I could hardly make it as it was rubbed off through the years.

@ Zemke Fan: That's very interesting. I didn't know about the beaver ring. Is that yours, or has been passed down?

 

[Story]

Is there any kind of insignia/stamp on the inside of the band?

Better hope it's not In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to bind them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

I think that Mud might be right, or at least on the right track. If you look at the detailing on the sides it's very much Aztec influenced, at least from the small bits that are visible.

Gil, if you could take another photo of the ring, I'd be interested in seeing the sides a bit more in detail.

 

[Zemke Fan]

My brass rat was stolen between my junior and senior years...

Zemke Fan: That's very interesting. I didn't know about the beaver ring. Is that yours, or has been passed down?

... during a softball game in Washington, D.C., while I was interning. Never did get it replaced. This is just a random photo.

 

[Gilbey]

Side View

 

[GoldLeaf]

I agree that the helmet looks a bit more like a Conquistador. That was my first thought, even before I saw Mud's information.

 

[Harp]

... the MIT class ring is affectionately called a "brass rat" and features a beaver chewing on a branch:

:eusa_clap I've seen a few 'brass rats' but never close-up.
Very distinctive--just read your second post--that is most unfortunate.

 

[Cicero]

Conquistador type helmets:
http://images.google.be/images?hl=nl&q=Conquistador helmet&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Greek style helmets:
http://images.google.be/images?hl=nl&q=greek helmet&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

And this one:
http://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/gems/scarab/scarab36.htm

Could be of any help!

 

[Gilbey]

Thanks for the research Cicero! Good job! :cheers1:

I definitely have to do more studying on this.

 

[catspyjamas]

This may not be the place to ask, but I'll give it a shot. I have a ring that was passed down to me when my grandfather passed away. It's stupid of me not to ask questions while he was alive. All I know is that he was so proud of this ring and wore it everyday till the day he died. His background: He was an Electrical Engineer graduate of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the early 30's. Could it be some kind of class ring? Fraternity ring? I don't know. I thought anyone might have seen something similar. The ring is in 18K Yellow Gold, but the cameo itself is not gold but of a different material like alabaster. Thanks.

Hi Gilbey,

I love when there is a personal story behind an object...so out of curiosity I googled your ring and here is what came up :

http://item.express.ebay.com/Jewelr...QQptdiZ252QQddiZ611QQadiZ618QQcmdZExpressItem

http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgu...cameo+ring+collector&svnum=10&um=1&hl=fr&sa=G

this one, you need to look at lot n¬? 2706 :

http://www.dargate.com/231_auction/231_images/231catalog.htm

http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgu...ng+&start=42&ndsp=21&svnum=10&um=1&hl=fr&sa=N

and personally I think your ring most resembles this cameo stick pin from the early 19th century :

http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgu...g+&start=210&ndsp=21&svnum=10&um=1&hl=fr&sa=N

But in any case your grandfather's ring is lovely and much nicer than any of these that are shown.

Hope you manage to find more information on it...maybe try contacting a reputable auction house like Christie's to see if they might be able to help ?

Good luck !

Cats

 

[Sweet Polly Purebred]

AJAX!

That last stick pin is almost identical!