About This Artifact
An ornate ring with an intricate floral pattern recovered by Gary Drayton along the northern edge of the triangle-shaped swamp during Season 7. The ring was thick and well made, small enough to fit a woman's finger, and featured a central flower motif with evidence of two different metals, including what appeared to be silver repairs and crude joining work.
At the Research Centre, archaeologist Laird Niven examined the ring under a Grobet digital microscope, noting the complexity of the floral design and the evidence of repair work using a second metal. Via video conference, Professor Charles Lewton-Brain of the Alberta College of Art and Design confirmed the floral design had been chiseled by hand, a technique used before saw blades became available to jewelers in the 1730s. Lewton-Brain dated the ring to prior to 1730 and identified the pattern as European, possibly Spanish.
The Spanish connection echoed a 1652 Spanish maravedi coin previously found in the swamp. The ring's recovery near the stone pathway and paved area, both of which have been dated to well before the Money Pit's 1795 discovery, placed it within the same zone of pre-colonial activity that has produced some of the island's most significant artifacts, including iron ringbolts, tunneling tools, and wooden survey stakes carbon-dated to the 17th century.
Historical Context
Gary Drayton & Rick Lagina; Charles Lewton-Brain
Where It Was Found
Found at Swamp.
