I inherited a ring. How can I tell what the stone is?

[PlaymobilPirate]

It was my grandmother's - she'll have got engaged 1940s I think but I've no idea whether it's as old as that or whether she replaced her original.

I think it's cubic or glass but it glowed blue under uv lights today when I got my nails done and heard that might mean it's real?

It's hugely sentimental so I'm only bothered in case I need to insure it. Would glass still be very shiny after all these years?

Gold with a platinum setting (or shank) was very common in the forties — my grandma and most of my great aunts all had diamond engagement rings, and I think only one was just gold.

I have my GM ring in its original box. Next time I'm in the city I will take it in there.

I might try the photo on the phone and enlarge .
It is engraved with the date of engagement an their initiials .

@BlueUggs, you have good eyes. I can’t read that with glasses on and magnifying the picture. Well done.

There will be a crown which means golf, 750 which is the fineness (18ct), an assay office mark (panther head for London, anchor for Birmingham etc) and a letter which is the year it was assayed. Initials are the maker.

Crown mean gold, not golf!

Ask the jeweller if it’s worth getting a proper valuation for insurance. He will then give you a rough idea of its value and you can decide what you want to do.

That is a HUGE stone!!! It's gorgeous.

DH is a chemistry prof and he says diamonds glow under uv light.

Of course its real. Why would your grandmother not have a real ring.,

It might be a semi precious, rather than a diamond, but they didn't have CZ until recently and its not CZ. Having said that, for a ring of that age, to still have a mirror finish on top, like your "setting pic" - it's almost certainly diamond, I would say.

if you want a valuation, pay £25 or so at a jewellers, and then you will know whether you need to sure it. A 1 carat diamond is about 6mm across, and that looks that sort of size. I think.

Good luck.

That a lovely ring- agree with pp about it more likely to be diamond if mounted in 18ct gold. It does look like a diamond to me but with some heavy inclusions- the black specks.

Thanks everyone. I'm not even sure we have a real jewellers in town but I'll have a quick Google.

Beaten to it, but yes, the hallmark is definitely 18ct gold, so it will be a real gemstone.

Looks similar size stone (but different shaped cut) to one diamond ring I recently had valued for insurance purposes and ii was just under £4000 replacement value. (That's not saying that it's worth that much, if you were to try to sell it, but that's how much it would cost to get an exact replica made by a quality jeweller.)

The hallmarks have probably got worn over time. There will be a makers mark, an assay office mark, a purity mark , and a date letter in your mark, I think.

Modern rings are just stamped 375 or 585 or 14K because they aren't made and hallmarked in England. Your ring is English, I would think.

Look up hallmarks on Wiki, and have a read.

Really lovely ring.

Pretty ring, and seems like it's probably the real thing. Good luck OP!

And I wouldn't try scratching glass. You don't want to damage the ring. Diamond will scratch glass. It wont get scratched itself, but it can fracture.

U could just say to the jeweller u need to know exactly because its so sentimental u want to insure it. Beautiful ring no matter what it is! X

I'm betting diamond! Let us know xx

Another vote for diamond, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

Some jewellers will charge 10% of value for an insurance valuation!

Our town only seems to have high street jewellers and pawn brokers!

Did CZ even exist in 1940s???

It's a beautiful ring

I think it's real. It's lovely.

Watching with interest! I've just inherited my grandmothers ring from 1940s too.

Ooh, can we see a pic of yours Rythmless?