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Description: | Post-medieval gold posy ring dating 1697 to 1715 AD. The ring is a simple gold posy ring circular in plan and D-shaped in section with a wide band, a plain exterior and inscribed inside with a brief sentiment that is difficult to decipher. The legend is possibly *VERT MERITS FOREVER* vert being short for virtue it would therefore translate as virtue keeps us forever. The language used in many early posy rings was Norman French, with French, Latin and English used in later times. There is also a maker's mark detailed as EG. There is no ring with this maker's mark in the British Museum, but the mark does appear on the Goldsmiths' Hall marks plate of 1682 to 1697 (the one surviving plate before 1697, the date when Grimwade's directory of London Goldsmiths begins). The EG mark could have been entered at any point within those dates. Even if entered in 1697, that still leaves 18 years in which the ring could have been made before 1715, so this ring can reasonably be counted as Treasure. Much of the black enamel is still present and the edges are still sharp suggesting the ring has not been much worn.Both the likely date of deposition and the precious metal contents where these can be ascertained fit clearly with the criteria of the Treasure Act (1996). It is therefore our recommendation that the hoard should be considered as Treasure under the terms of the Act.Authors - Stuart Noon and Judy Rudoe
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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