Hi thanks for writing in with the following hallmark questions:
"I recently got engaged and picked my ring from a selection of second-hand ones in a jewellers. It has seven diamonds in a circular cluster on a white gold band. I can tell from the marks that it is '14K 585', but the other marks make no sense to me, and I've googled my heart out. A jewellers i took it to told me it was either European (non-UK) or American. The marks I cannot make out are a small squiggle and a sailboat. Sorry I can't be more specific. I'll upload a photo later if i get time."
Congratulations on your engagement and also for choosing a secondary piece of jewelry that leaves no carbon footprints. Your jeweler is spot on. There are lots of different sailboat marks on metals. Sailboat marks appear on Scandinavian metals, particularly on silver. France also uses a sailboat on the occasion. In the US, for instance, Helena R. Rost (Jewelers, mostly Indiana, USA) - ca 1890s - 1920 used quite an exotic looking sailboat within a circle for trademark. Again a photo will help.
