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FINGER RING
Unique ID: BERK-B28F95
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
A complete gold finger ring in remarkable condition, probably an early 18th century mourning ring. The finger ring is made from a hoop of gold with a D-shaped section which is decorated externally with a repeating design of leaf/flower stems and flower heads, reminiscent of thistles. The lower area of the engravings are filled with a black paste, possibly a bitumen-type substance. The bezel of the ring is hexagonal and contains a clear stone or piece of glass that appears to be above a small piece of silver. The stone is held in place by six small gold clasps. The only internal mark is a maker's mark of CD contained within a round-edged rectangle.
Judy Rudoe of the Department of Prehistory and Europe at the British Museum comments: "We don't have this [maker's] mark on any of our rings and I cannot identify it in any of the standard published sources. Almost all the dated rings of this type in our collection with very similar floral enamelling on the exterior and in some cases bezels with glass covered compartments date from the 1720s-30s, see for example AF 1547-1553, all in the 1728-32 date range."
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder after being declared not Treasure
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2011T413
Chronology
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1720
Date to: Circa AD 1740
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 1.89 mm
Weight: 5.3 g
Diameter: 23.05 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 1st January 1980 - Friday 31st December 1993
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: 2011.097
Treasure case number: 2011T413
Materials and construction
Primary material: Gold
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Oxfordshire (County)
District: Cherwell (District)
To be known as: Bicester area
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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