Early Victorian Turgite Specimen Ring
Okay, here's an interesting one: exactly how did a mineral specimen discovered in the 1840s - turgite - end up in what appears to be a Georgian ring that was made decades earlier? I have a pretty good working theory... but first let's look at the ring.
A large navette-shaped head is home to three clumps of iridescent, otherworldly turgite protected behind a rock crystal dome. It's crafted in 15 carat gold with attractive engraved details to the shoulders and around the head. Turgite (a term that's actively discouraged in the world of mineralogy) was originally described as a hematite/goethite in-between (Hermann, 1844) and it's prized for its remarkable iridescence, presenting a vivid range of greens, oranges, and yellows that play over the surface. The original deposits were found at the Turjunskii Mine in the Ural Mountains in Russia (hence the name). Under modern technical terminology this original material would be described as either hematite or goethite, or a mix of the two.
So my theory: for our 10th wedding anniversary Alice surprised me with a ring that she knew I'd been long coveting. It's a 1970s style sovereign mount set with a slice of pallasite meteorite, rather than the traditional half sovereign coin it was intended to house. A pallasite meteorite from outer space. This type of meteorite is incredibly hard to cut on account of its unique composition - part olivine crystal, part nickel-iron metal - so having it fashioned into a thin coin-sized disk is super tricky (I think they use a high pressure waterjet cutting machine to do it without melting the metal or cracking the stone).
Now let's compare with our 19th century navette ring... both are set with an exotic stone: the newly discovered (in the 1840s) turgite vs the previously uncuttable pallasite meteorite. And both rings, when they were respectively made, were harking back to a 'retro' design period: mine to the 1970s vs the Georgian navette style that was popular from around 1770 to 1810. Was there some mineral nerd in the 1840s who, like me, coveted a new, rare, and exotic 'gem' to mount in a 'vintage-inspired' ring? Well maybe, just maybe.
(FYI my ring was made by Johnny Hoxton who does mad things with weird stones and sovereign mounts)
Era: Victorian, circa 1845
Ring size: M or 6.25 US. Resizeable for £55
Head: 31.0mm by 17.6mm
Stone: "Turgite" (hematite and/or goethite)
Marks: None, tested as 15ct gold
Condition: Great antique condition
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