Lot 90
A RARE NATIVE SCOTTISH GOLD MEMORIAL RING
UNMARKED
Auction: Day One | Wednesday 19 August from 10am | Lots 1 - 198
Description
The simple shank engraved to interior KILDONAN, the outer edge set with plaited hair in simple chased foliate border, with vacant shield cartouche
Dimensions
Ring size: R
Provenance
'Gold: Power and Allure, 4500 years of gold treasures from across Britain', The Goldsmiths Company 1st June – 28th July 2012
Footnote
Although there is much Scottish gold jewellery made and surviving from as early as c1700, very little has been recorded which can be proven to come from natively sourced Scottish gold.
While native gold has been mined and sourced for centuries in Scotland it was more commonly found as a by-product of other mining activities, notably lead. Except in the few rare occasions of miniature gold rushes in Scotland such as Kildonan in 1818 and again in 1868.
It was reported by the Inverness Courier in 1869 that ‘Messrs D. C. Rait and Sons, of Buchanan Street, Glasgow, have been active purchasers of Sutherland gold from the commencement of the discovery, and have assayed several specimens officially. These have ranged from 19 to 19¾ carats. Mr Robert Gilchrist, the original discoverer, seems to have been very successful of late at the Kildonan burn’.
The amounts of Scottish gold available for work were however rare, rarer still are examples noted and sold as such like this example.
Various pieces by Glasgow companies, D C Rait and Muirhead & Sons, as well as Inverness makers have been noted. These generally follow the interest in native materials by combining the gold with other materials synonymous with Scotland such as freshwater pearls and Cairngorm stones. This fitted perfectly into the wider Scottish historical and national revival started as early as George IV’s visit in 1822 and continued with the Royal purchase of Balmoral and beyond into the early 1900’s.
Pieces of native Scottish gold feature in the collections of both the National Museum of Scotland and Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery but seldom are seen at auction.