Need opinions on Swastika Ring with Dedication Inscription...

[dzyner]

Hi all,

I received this ring with a lot that included several swords and daggers (a nice lot indeed). I know there are a ton of fake rings out there, but this one has a nice hand engraved dedication that appears nicely worn. What do you guys think about this one? Authentic? Any ideas about what the engraving reads?



Thanks!
Dzyner

I collect WWII German Military Collectibles.

[johnhmcgary]

Dzyner, Does that say "sterling" on the inside? John

[dzyner]

Hi John. Yes, I believe that is what it reads. Bad?

[sitges1990]

Hi Dzyner, all I can add is that the wear on that ring is extremely inconsistent. The paint looks the same on the recessed areas as the raised areas on the top. The interior has most certainly been reamed with a power tool. You can see multiple concentric scratches, possibly to give it that worn look. Usually if a ring has been worn enough to be that scratched up, the bottom of the ring is usually thinned. There does not appear to be any wear to the thickness of your ring on the bottom. Jewelry can really be a tough call, but IMHO this ring has some red flags. I've read that forgers will put jewelry in a rock tumbler (polisher) with different substances to get a worn look.

Jay

[Walkwolf]

The wording looks to be a part of the mold, rather than it being
etched or inscribed by hand.

It would be unlikely that a German ring would have
the word 'Sterling' stamped into it, IMO.........

[johnhmcgary]

Hi Dzyner, As Jay noted there are red flags on this piece. I blew up one of the pics of the inside of the ring, the "r" in Standart appears to have those brushing lines in the engraving. I believe that TR silver items usually used a numerical purity system and the swaz should be cantered to the side. I am far from an expert on TR rings but I do know they are very heavily faked. I have walked away from rings that looked good on the surface simply because there are probably 1,000 fakes for every real one. Believe me I am not an expert but I have doubts about this one that would keep me away. There are folks on this site that will be able to tell you for sure. Good luck and happy hunting. John

[Wagriff]

This style of ring is almost certainly an American Indian Navajo type of design. It probably started out that way some time ago, as evidenced by the "Sterling" mark inside, but some enterprising clown decided to "Nazi it up" and added the bogus inscription and whizzed it with a wheel to age it. When I was younger, I used to see alot of rings similar to this one, but with the Nazi tainting of the Swastika they pretty much vanished from the scene. I think I might even have one like it around somewhere-I should take a look for it, I haven't seen it in years!
For future reference, most all silver content in pre-1950 Europe was generally 800 or 835 with the occasional 930 and 950 seen on high end jewelry. As has been said, "Sterling" was pretty much never seen for the time era. As for this one, if you had a jeweler finish the whizzing and remove the last of the silly inscription, you'd have a nice hefty silver ring! But, in any case, it absolutely is not German or anything to do with the wartime.