Identifying finger rings

Hoop, shoulders, and bezel.

Read the hoop section, the shoulders, and the bezel or setting together. Signet and intaglio rings carry a device for sealing; decorative rings do not.

Look inside the hoop: posy rings hide short engraved mottoes there, and hallmarks or maker’s marks sit inside later precious-metal hoops. Iconographic rings with saints on the bezel are a recognisable late-medieval family.

The setting method is datable — ancient stones sit in simple rub-over collets, while claw settings are modern. Wear inside the hoop and softening of the highest relief confirm genuine use.

Ring size proves nothing about date and little about the wearer. Record the device (and remember a signet reads in reverse), the hoop section, and any inscription letter by letter.

From the guide library inside Collectors Catalogues, a free app for cataloguing antiques and finds with honest, museum-grade records.

More on jewellery

Dating medieval brooches — Form, pin, and section are your clues.

Identifying brooch and fibula types — Spring, bow, and catch.

Identifying beads — Material, perforation, and wear.

Identifying cameos and intaglios — Carved in relief or sunk.

Identifying earrings — Hoops, pendants, and wires from four thousand years of pierced ears.

Identifying bracelets and bangles — Penannular gaps, snake heads, and twisted wire around the wrist.

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