Gold ring with Maltese Cross

[michaelg213]

Hi Everyone, I'm very grateful for any help you can offer me :) This ring was worn by my Grandfather who was born in Malta in 1922. Searching through this site and others, I can't make heads or tails of these hallmarks and I would love your input. Thank you!

[Aguest]

These seem to be English Gold hallmarks with "C18" meaning "18 Carat Gold" which is typical for higher quality gold rings :::: I wonder if that last hallmark is an "F" which could indicate "Foreign Origin" and I have seen this hallmark on English Silver but not English Gold so I would need someone else to help out here. ::: Were these hallmarks applied in England or Malta is the question I am asking myself? :::

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Are there definitely no other marks? However worn they may be.

Trev.

[AG2012]

Hi,
For a reason unknown to me, letter F within a rectangle with cut corners does appear on Maltese precious metals. (British import F is within an oval).
C18 does not belong to British system. But being British colony at the time, Malta could have used the crown mark for gold.
Regards

[Aguest]

So basically these are gold hallmarks which would have been applied by a Maltese Assay Master and the ring was 100% made and fashioned in Malta :::
I am not even sure that that hallmark is "C18" because it is so worn, but what else could it be? The two hallmarks aside from the "crown" and the "F" hallmark are so worn I really am not sure what they are, and I got lucky with the "F" hallmark (which I assume stands for "Fine Gold" which the 18 Carat Standard has been used for Fine Gold Rings since 1798 in England, but that is an assumption and it could stand for something else because remember how Maltese Silver has an "F" letter which stands for the "French Standard" which is the highest quality of silver forks assayed in Malta during the 19th century, so it could have something to do with that). :::

[michaelg213]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Are there definitely no other marks? However worn they may be.

Trev.

Thanks for having me here! This is all so fascinating and having access to this wealth of knowledge is such a blessing, since I'm clearly starting from scratch here lol

There are no additional marks on the inside of the band. Just some little cracks :(

[michaelg213]

These seem to be English Gold hallmarks with "C18" meaning "18 Carat Gold" which is typical for higher quality gold rings :::: I wonder if that last hallmark is an "F" which could indicate "Foreign Origin" and I have seen this hallmark on English Silver but not English Gold so I would need someone else to help out here. ::: Were these hallmarks applied in England or Malta is the question I am asking myself? :::

Thank you for the info.
I'm laughing at myself. The C18 I should've been able to make out, I scrolled past it numerous times looking at charts.

[michaelg213]

Hi,
For a reason unknown to me, letter F within a rectangle with cut corners does appear on Maltese precious metals. (British import F is within an oval).
C18 does not belong to British system. But being British colony at the time, Malta could have used the crown mark for gold.
Regards

Thank you. I get the sense it gets more convoluted when it was made in Malta? I can only assume because of how the island has changed hands so many times through history. Well and since the marks are so darn worn...

[michaelg213]

So basically these are gold hallmarks which would have been applied by a Maltese Assay Master and the ring was 100% made and fashioned in Malta :::

I'm wicked excited about this! Maltese Assay Master, what!?
I'm also wicked disappointed in myself, the 25 other grandkids, or his 6 children who all can't remember asking him when/where/how did he get the ring, although it's a consensus he wore thing almost everyday for as long as anyone can remember. He immigrated to America from Malta as a young boy, but visited Malta several times throughout his life. He also was drafted into the US Army and served globally right through the end of the war. So, I guess I say all that to say I wish I had more usable context or history to offer about the piece, but I don't:(

I am not even sure that that hallmark is "C18" because it is so worn, but what else could it be? The two hallmarks aside from the "crown" and the "F" hallmark are so worn I really am not sure what they are, and I got lucky with the "F" hallmark (which I assume stands for "Fine Gold" which the 18 Carat Standard has been used for Fine Gold Rings since 1798 in England, but that is an assumption and it could stand for something else because remember how Maltese Silver has an "F" letter which stands for the "French Standard" which is the highest quality of silver forks assayed in Malta during the 19th century, so it could have something to do with that). :::

It is a shame the marks are so worn, although the info this board has given me already is astounding. I suppose having any idea of when it was made is probably out of the question due to how worn the marks are? 19th century would blow my mind, although it does feel pretty powerful when I wear it ;)

[Aguest]

The first hallmark which seems poorly-struck (or possibly just worn from use over the years) should be the maker's mark which is two Initials. ::: You have a much better chance of figuring out the first letter if you get a jeweler's loupe and just the right angle and lighting, but chances are slim. ::: The first letter might be an "E" but your guess would be better than mine. :::