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Directory: Antiques: Decorative Art: Jewelry: Pre 1900: Item # 1475214

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Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
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P.O. Box 4684
Baltimore, Maryland 21212
tel. 410-435-3738

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HM 1916 Birmingham, our Victorian "message" ring with the word "Mizpah" engraved on either side (Miz on one side of the turquoise forget-me-not and Pah on the other side) is an example of the romantic message jewelry that was so popular in the era. The word Mizpah is a Hebrew word that symbolizes the bond between two people separated by an act of war or other forced estrangement. The message comes from a quote in the Old Testament book of Genesis and reads "And Mizpah; for he said, the Lord watch between thee and me, when we are absent one from another". It is the Hebrew word for "Watchtower", a pillar of stones which symbolized the covenant between Jacob and Laban. Such rings were often exchanged between two people in the hope of protecting the two during a period of separation. This is the first turquoise endowed forget-me-not Mizpah ring we have come across, adding to the sentimentality of our Mizpah ring. We love the charming way the goldsmith separated the word MizPah into 2 different words on either side of the ring face in order to maintain its symmetry. The ring has a registration serial number 174954. Serial numbers were much like a patent number and replaced the registry "kite" mark registry symbol after the year 1884. In addition to the hallmark, it helps date the ring. The registry mark itself indicates the time the ring design was registered. The ring is a size 5 1/2. A special MizPah, ring, indeed.