14K Gold Signet Ring!

[Donnie B]

I normally don't detect much in the summer; however, I secured a permission at a standing colonial era home that is now abandoned. It had been occupied for approximately 270 years so there are layers of colonial era relics, 1800's and 1900's coins and relics, and an unending amount of pulltabs and modern coins .

I had pretty much stayed on one side of the house due to the "trash" level in the yard. I figured that I might as well clean out the modern stuff so I could hear the deeper targets which were likely older. I had already found a late 1600's William III copper and an 1837 Hard Times token in previous visits and I had been running my Deus at around 14Khz and using my elliptical coil due to high EMI.

I decided to switch things up a little bit on my last hunt and jacked up the Deus to 28khz hoping to find smaller targets or, maybe, gold. That's exactly what happened. I found a very small ladies 14K gold signet ring made by J.R. Wood and Sons in Brooklyn, NY!

I haven't been able to pin down a date for the ring yet but it looks to be Victorian or Art Deco? J.R. Wood and Sons was founded in 1850 and became Art Carved which still exists today. I have located old catalogs on the internet showing the "Signet Ring Department" with rows of desks and workers carving initials into rings. It really takes you back in time when you research your finds.