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 Post subject: Victorian Ring?
PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:04 pm 
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Hello everyone. I just bought this ring because I love the discoloration on it and it also has an old mine cut diamond in the center. It was sold to me as 10k and "Victorian." It looks pretty old. I am just curious since the style seems so unique. Does this style fit the Victorian era at all? Unfortunately, it doesn't have any hallmarks or stamps. I also asked another group of people and one person said that the discoloration, especially the black spots, come from an old process on which mercury is used. Does anyone have any info on that? I googled it but i couldn't find anything saying that mercury will turn gold black. Just that it will dissolve it. Appreciate any insight :)


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 Post subject: Re: Victorian Ring?
PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:48 pm 
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Location: San Francisco
The ring style does not look Victorian to my eye, but the diamond definitely is old.
Is it rose gold? 10k is an American product. The US has no hallmarking protocol.

Let's review how we can turn gold black.
Not easy, as gold itself does not oxidize chemically.
In most Victorian jewels, diamonds were traditionally set in silver. The silver will eventually turn black.
Image

Clearly this is not going on with your piece.

I suspect someone has used one of the contemporary methods to fake-up the appearance of "oxidization". in gold.
Liquid black epoxy works to turn the recessed areas black. It is a pretty common ploy.

Or, there is a product called "Oxidizer" made by Vigor that can reliably blacken both silver and gold.

In contemporary jewelry one can blacken gold by electroplating it with rhodium.

In conclusion, I do not see aesthetic attributes of Victoriana in the ring. I think it probable that the ring is 20th century, inspired by 19th century pieces to repurpose the mine-cut diamond..


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 Post subject: Re: Victorian Ring?
PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:24 pm 
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Thank you for your answer. It is not rose gold. It's yellow but some parts look more orange.
Here is a more detailed look at the color.


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 Post subject: Re: Victorian Ring?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:43 pm 
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A small update: So I brought it to a jeweler and it actually tested a little under 14k. The diamond tested real too. Just wanted to make sure. They said the black could bee enamel residue as well


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 Post subject: Re: Victorian Ring?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:56 pm 
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14K and lack of quality stamps, maker's marks and hallmarks still indicates United States.


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