Another Poe Pipi Pearl Ring - Tells and Trips

[kiwipaul]

I was recently at a vintage jewelry sale in New Zealand with many uncatalogued lots when the following item was offered.

It passed un-noticed by the crowd, and was knocked down to me for about the value of its 5gms of 18k gold.
The central golden pearl is about 5.6mm diameter, the outer white to gray pearl and the other cream to gold pearl are both about 4mm.

Since I already own a rather nice pipi pearl ring that's well publicized on this site I suppose I had the advantage over the other bidders.

However I'm guessing there may be quite a few of these types of rings at large round the world, picked up by past tourists to the Cook Islands.

Here's some "tells" to identifying these rings based on the few I've seen:

1) The rings are mostly 18ct gold
2) The pipi pearl is often drilled and mounted on a central post (for a more secure mount?)
3) The mounting prongs that hold the pearls are often long, in a coronet style setting, and they give the ring an Arts & Crafts appearance
4) If the ring has three pearls, the central pearl will be a gold pipi and the left and right smaller pearls may be two different colors like gray and white, black & white etc.
5) The ring will be obviously individually fabricated and NOT a lost wax cast setting

Heaven knows how many of these sorts of rings are floating around the world after 100 years of tourism to the Cook Islands.

However we've decided to visit the source and ask the locals. I have a significant birthday coming up, aw shucks, I'm turning 60,
and in the last week of February we're going to the Cook Is for a week of sun, warm sea, and R & R.

While we're unlikely to get to Tongareva, we'll try and visit Bergman & Sons in Avarua (Rarotonga) and see if they can shed light on the manufacturers of our pipi pearl rings. If there is any more to tell I'll report back on our return.

 

[pearlescence]

Great find Kiwipaul. Very pretty ring. Have a marvellous birthday trip and pearl sleuthing

 

[LitGeek]

Those Pipi pearls are just beautiful! Have a wonderful trip and a very happy birthday!

 

[MSC]

Wonderful find! My ring meets most of your described criteria as well Happy (early) bday, enjoy the islands! I hope you find more of these ring types!

 

[pattye]

Paul.

Such a beauty and great find! Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Amanda]

Sounds like a wonderful holiday - have fun!

 

[KAC]

really cool piece, I love the way the pearls are set.

 

[GemGeek]

It's so generous of you to share your hard-won skills! Beautiful.

 

[MSC]

I think the design looks very Victorian...

 

[whicker]

Very pretty! Are there missing gold pieces joining/supporting the outside pearls to the center pearl? It seems like there would need to be something to follow the lines from the outside band to the pearls.

 

[kiwipaul]

The big "Tell" for poe pipis

The big "Tell" for poe pipis

Hi whicker, interesting thoughts.

I think those wings/supporting struts/decorative elements outside the two outer pearls have a dual purpose.
They provide additional security to the outer coronet mounts from a sideways knock AND they're decorative.
However I don't think there was any need to carry over the support between the outer two coronet mounts by joining them to the central one.

I would place this ring in the late 1940's through early 1960's. What I would call the post-war austerity period. Life and jewelry was simple then.
You see similar styles in the original engagement rings belonging to the parents of the baby boom kids.

The big "Tell" with these pipis is of course candling. They light up like a Chinese lantern, with a particular orangey glow.
I've had my daughter's book light on this, and it does has that distinctive "Tell".
The outer pearls are also highly translucent, very similar to the candling pics of Angela's ring shown recently.

As soon as I get a chance I'll try and get some decent pics and put them up.

 

[pearlescence]

Those three settings were probably bought in from a findings supplier and then soldered to the shank (there looks to be a slightly bigger gap between on one side to the other side) and then the buttresses added. So it would be custom made, but mostly from findings.
Certainly findings houses were supplying the cast claw settings back then - and still are. Are there any marks on the shank? There's enough gold for hallmarking to be necessary if it was made in the UK (Out of pure curiosity what is the system in NZ?)

 

[BeadersSecret]

Hi Paul, gorgeous find there, would love to see more photos of the ring especially the shoulders
How wide is the shank? Are the collets the same carat of gold as the shank?
The collets look hand made and not manufactured, all in all a lovely interesting piece.

 

[kiwipaul]

Hi Wendy, yes agree quite possibly assembled from standard findings, the shank is stamped 18CT.

There is no official hallmarking system in NZ, I discussed this in more detail here:
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8551&page=2&p=117692#post117692

There were a couple of big UK precious metal merchants that had branches in NZ and were selling standard findings right through the 1900's.
Matthey Garrett (now Johnson Matthey) is one that springs to mind.

And hi Bernadette, the shank is quite wide at 4.75mm. I'll put up a few more pics of the ring when I candle it.

When I had our big pipi pearl ring x-rayed the valuer was a crusty old dude who told me about one NZ manufacturing jeweller who specialised in making pieces for the tourist trade and the locals in the Cook Islands through the 1950's and 60's.

There has always been a lot of traffic back and forth between NZ and the Cook Islands, which was a NZ protectorate from 1901.

Auckland now has larger population of Cook Islanders than Rarotonga (the main Island).

 

[pearlescence]

Hallmarking was started to protect both the currency and as the first form of consumer protection - not dependent on guild system, it just happens that in London Goldsmiths' Hall administers the london part of the operation. There used to be many more assay offices when gold and silver work was more localised.
It seems to be a bit of a pain to have to comply with it when I write the cheque to pay for having things assayed and marked but then when it comes back and I see my mark on something and know that -literally - I have made my mark and no-one else ever can have had or will ever have that same mark, it is a bit amazing.
Given the problems (some of them reported within this forum) which people have had with non UK and non marked or wrongly marked precious metal items it is a form of consumer protection which seems justified (for eg also we would instantly know a lot more about your ring - what metal, where it was made, when it was made and who made it)
btw I suspect that the buttress was probably made in the workshop from drawn wire

 

[kiwipaul]

Candling of pipi pearl

Candling of pipi pearl

Hi Wendy, wow amazing that you have your own hallmark, that is very cool, and yes wouldn't it be great if all global jewellery was hallmarked to UK standards.

So I've done a fairly amateurish job of candling the ring.
Still using my daughter's book light and my digital camera, I recognise it would be much better with a USB microscope.
And of course pics are taken in the setting which is far from perfect.

However what I hope is clear it that all three pearls are translucent and light up like little lanterns, no sign of beads inside that I can see.

 

[pattye]

Great photo, Paul!