Three Rings on a 17th Century Dutch(?) Spoon

[Granmaa]

A trefid spoon, c.1700. The mark has all but worn away. In some lights it looks like TW, but I wouldn't like to say. The best hope of finding out where this spoon comes from is with the arms. Three rings below a crown.

Miles

[R ingo]

Hello Miles,
it is probably the arms of the family Freytag (or Frydag, or Fridag) von Loringhoven.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freytag_von_Loringhoven
The family came from Westphalia (12th / 13th ct). Later the family lives in Frisia on Goedens-Castle in Neustadt-Goedens (today part of the municipality Sande in Lower Saxony, Germany) in East-Frisia near the Dutch border. At the moment I have also al little problem with this region, thats why I read a little about it ( viewtopic.php?f=22&t=21690 ).
The arms of the family shows three silver rings. Therefore the city mark of Neustadt-Goedens also has three rings (Wolfgang Scheffler, Goldschmiede in Niedersachsen, p. 950, no. 1859).
Some members of the famyly went to the Netherlands, Sweden and the Baltic provinces.

I am not sure, but it could be the same coat of arms.

Kind regards,
Ringo

[R ingo]

Hello Miles,
I forgot to say, that the spoon is very nice.
I thought about the crown and found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_%28heraldry%29

The Baron`s crown in Sweden and Norway looks very similar. But I think, the crown is a variation of the Crown of Nobility, wich was common in a lot of European countries.

Kind regards,
Ringo

[Granmaa]

Hello Ringo,

Sorry for not responding sooner. Thank you for that. I'm not familiar with German arms. The rings on my spoon have stones whereas the ones in your picture have none. Is there often such variation in German arms?

Miles

[R ingo]

Hello Miles,
I am also not familiar with German arms. I have looked for rings with stones, but I found noting. Probably such a variation of the arm in dependence on the fashion of this time is allowed on private unofficial things. But I am not sure.

Kind regards,
Ringo