I found this ring in a box of jewelry that belonged to my ancestors.
Only problem is that I do not have an ancestor named Clarence. At least going back to the early 1700’s.
The ring is a size 11. Made from a fairly thin, base metal. No markings on interior of ring.
A long time ago a friend told me it was a Memorial ring. That in Victorian times people would have the name of a loved one and the year they died engraved on a ring.
I do not know if this is accurate.
It reminds me of rings that could be engraved at fairs in the 1960’s and 70’s. But, the engraving is much nicer on this one.
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Hmmm…it’s a mystery!
With just the date of '39, it just doesn’t seem like a memorial ring to me.
Clarence could’ve been a family member’s sweetheart…?
Maybe a boy who was lost in the war…or they broke up and the ring was never returned…of course that’s just my creative imagination.
I don’t know. My Mom was less than 13 years old then. Had a baby brother. Their Mom had no siblings. Their Dad had only brothers, No Clarence. No family friends in photos or diaries named Clarence. No correspondence from a Clarence.
It is indeed a mystery.
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Don’t mean to burst a provenance bubble but it may just be a pick up off the ground at the 1939 Chicago Worlds Fair.
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Nice ring. The engraving was done traditionally by hand using a hammer to tap the graver along. The script is higher quality than the embellishment, so it looks like an engraver and perhaps his/her apprentice both worked on it, with the more experience engraver doing the lettering, and another engraver doing the embellishment.
One of my engraving teachers, Sam Alfano demonstrating the technique: Hammer & Chisel Engraving by Sam Alfano - YouTube
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1939 Fair was New York, but an interesting possibility. Does this resemble other fair commemorative jewelry? Unfamiliar territory for me.
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A possibility, but none of my ancestors would have been at the World’s Fair.
A friend would have needed to go there, pick it up and give it to them later.
My family lived in Wisconsin and did not travel far away.
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Thanks, I knew that. Old age creeping closer.
