DATE: WW1
A rare collection of WW1 Trench Art signet rings. Trench art pieces are holders of soldiers' memories and reminders of what they had faced. Made out of recycled war materials such as shell casings, spent bullets or whatever came to hand. The level of craftsmanship is often amazing, considering their circumstances.
This set features three signet rings, the first, an oval shaped face that has been carved with the word GUERRE (French for War) and the dates '14 and '16, while the shoulders feature hand-chased abstract embellishment.
The second ring features crossing Danish and German flags. In WW1, around 30,000 Danish speaking German citizens from the Northern Schleswig fought in the German army. This is because of Denmark’s defeat and the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein by Prussia in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864. As a result, a large group of Danes became German citizens, and were obliged to do military service in the German army. This one features '14 and '17 engravings.
The third and final ring features the words "Souvenir D'alger" on the oval head. Between 1914 and 1918, 173,019 Algerians, 80,339 Tunisians and 40,398 Moroccans served for France in WW1. By 11 November 1918, their losses totalled 28,200 dead and 7,700 missing.
Usually trench art rings are quite thin, however these seem to be quite sturdy and thick therefore they will have been made from more heavy duty materials. They remain in great condition considering their age.
MEASUREMENTS
Guerre Ring:
Size-9 Width of band-1.9mm Head- 1cm
Flags Ring:
Size- 9.5 Width of band- 1.6mm Head: 1.1cm
Souvenir Ring:
Size- 8.25 Width of Band- 2.9mm Head- 1.7cm
WEIGHT
Guerre Ring: 5.35g
Flags Ring: 4.84g
Souvenir Ring: 8.27g
MARKS
No marks present
CONDITION
Good antique condition
