I have this gody ring that’s root beer colored and the gem stone goes all the way around the band. Silver band on the inside which is stamped with a swan (the animal), with a circled c, and below that the number 58. Can you help me find out what the different stamps mean? It’s a fairly heavy ring and the stone itself is beautifully cut.
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Swan marked diamond earrings in gold by: Anonymous
I want to know if my 16 diamond earrings, with a swan watermark and a "c" watermark are real diamonds and real gold cause it says 14k on the stem of the earrings but the earrings are silver in color and might be white gold.
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Possibly French - Silver by: Yvonne
Hi Robert - silver has been used extensively since the 18th century to set diamonds. Because of silver' s reflectivity it makes the diamonds look whiter, (what we all love) rather than yellowish, which can happen when the diamonds are set in gold. And during the 1890s in particular, silver enjoyed a huge spurt in popularity.
The swan symbol (within an oval shield) is used as a French silver guarantee. If you test the metal and find the metal is white gold, the swan marking may be the sponsor's mark.
You can test to see if the metal is white gold or silver yourself. To test silver, put a drop of nitric acid (available from the chemist but take care when using ) on the inside of the band or on any engraved area.
If the ring is silver, nitric acid will turn the area a whitish, cloudy, matte color. If you still are not sure, a silver testing solution, available at the jewelers supply store for less than $10 can be used.
The color the solution turns when placed on the metal will determine the percentage of silver in the ring. If the piece is fine silver the solution should turn bright red.
There's a great charm with silver, as it ages, it wears to a soft patina of great beauty. Thank you for writing to us!
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