Most Mizpah rings date from World War I (1914-18), when many young men were obliged to part from their sweethearts.
The word MIZPAH comes from the Bible, Genesis 31:49, "May the Lord watch Between us two," and adopted in the late nineteenth Century.
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Determining Gold by Weight by: Gold Finger
Real experts can weigh gold in their hand and recognize it by its weight even to the carat.
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Mitzpah Gold Detecting by: Yvonne
Gwen, isn't this what we love so much about our Antique Jewelry! It made me stop and think about the person who wore that ring all those years ago and the circumstances that resulted in the mizpah ring that you found hidden in the roof! Some people actually Bury their jewelry so that no one will ever wear them but this is the first time I've heard of anyone hiding them in the roof!
You know, King Edward VIII was so proud of the royal jewels he gave to Wallis Simpson, he wanted the duchess of windsor's jewelry collection dismantled after her death so no one else could ever wear them.
Without more information and a clear photograph, it's really almost impossible to research a maker. Especially if there are no other markings or clues. The initials could even be engraved and the initials of the person who previously wore the mizpah jewellery.
The conflicting jeweler's accounts of the metal content of the ring could mean it is actually gold over brass. Electroplating was first used in the 1840s, so if the ring is gold plated, the ring would be dated after that year.
Gold plated pieces can often be detected by close examination of the places that get the most wear, deeply engraved or a monogramed area. Wear points are usually easy to detect.
Digital gold testing equipment can be purchased over the internet although many collectors prefer to test metals using an acid testing kit. The kit is contained in a wooden box and comes complete with a touch stone.
Mizpah Jewellery was popular in the 1880's at the beginning of the Boer War. Thank you for writing to us.
best regards Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre If you would like to join the Antique Jewelry Investor community and stay up to date with all the latest Antique jewelry news click here....
