Identifying and Valuing Cameo Rings: A Detailed Guide

Question
Hi David,

I have a cameo ring my Grandmother gave to me about ten years ago.  I am not sure where she got it from or how long she had it.  It is an oval shape with a full figure greek goddess (I think) wearing flowing clothing, it looks like she is holding some kind of a bowl at her hip with her right hand and is holding her left arm up above her head.  It is quite detailed.  The face of the cameo is about 1.5cms long by 1cm wide, the face's cirumference is surrounded by a simple layer of rose gold and the ring itself is rose gold.  I think it is 9kt as the inside of the band is stamped 9375.  There is also another stamp on the inside of the band and i am not sure if it means anything  S.U.L TD and also the marking B6849???  The cameo itself looks to me like it is definitely carved out of some kind of blue medium, I am not sure what as it is a light blue colour and not that bright blue I have seen on many agate cameos.  Lastly It is in very good condition and the only modification I have made is to the band size as originally it was very small and would only have fit on my pinky.  I think that is all I have, I would really like to learn more about this and possibly what its value may be?  I look forward to hearing from you.

Danielle

Answer
G'day Danielle and many thanks for your query.

The ring sound delightful, but you should really ask your grandmother when and where she purchased the item, as it may not be all that old. She should know more than anyone about the age.

The item is 9ct gold as the 375 is the International stamp for 9ct while the other letters would simple be the Makers Mark or Store name (LTD) stands for 'Limited' so would be a company identification name. The other numbers are just a design or model number.

For current values on the open second-hand market, why not browse eBay.

You might also like to add this query to my Jewelry Forum at http://www.online-jewelry-appraisals.net/jewelry-forum/ as other may have had a similar problem. Can't hurt anyway and who knows what answers you may get.

Hope this helps...