Most antique jewellery tells you about wealth. Berlin iron jewellery tells you about the moment people gave it up.
Our Berlin iron signet ring dates from around 1820. At first glance it is a dark, quietly elegant ring: an octagonal bezel cast with a three-leaf clover, with scrolling flowers in relief on the shoulders. Look closer and each leaf of the clover carries a symbol: a cross, a heart and an anchor. Faith, hope and charity. To understand why anyone would wear this in iron rather than gold, you have to go back to Prussia in 1813.
"Gold gab ich für Eisen"
In 1813 Prussia was fighting to drive Napoleon's forces out, and the state was close to bankrupt. The Prussian royal family appealed to wealthy citizens: donate your gold jewellery to fund the war, and receive a piece of cast iron jewellery in exchange. The campaign became known by its motto, Gold gab ich für Eisen – "I gave gold for iron".
It worked. The war chests filled, and iron jewellery became a badge of honour. A black iron ring or bracelet announced, without a word, that its wearer had made the sacrifice. Many people carried on wearing their iron pieces long after the war ended, and the fashion lasted until it faded in the second half of the nineteenth century.
How Berlin iron was made
Berlin iron was cast rather than forged. A design was carved or modelled in wax and pressed into very fine sand to form a mould, and molten iron was poured into the impression. The finished piece was coated in black lacquer to protect it from rust. The method allowed extraordinary delicacy: some Berlin iron necklaces and bracelets have openwork so fine it looks closer to lace than to metal.
The designs followed the taste of the day, from neoclassical medallions and Gothic tracery to the sentimental symbols you see on our ring.
Reading the ring
The cross, heart and anchor stand for faith, hope and charity. Set together in one jewel they read almost like a prayer: by God's grace, come home safe. In an age of war and long sea voyages, when a loved one might never return, it was one of the best-loved motifs in European jewellery. Here the three symbols sit within a clover, itself a token of luck.
Few objects capture the mood of those years so precisely. Patriotism, sacrifice and private anxiety are all cast in the same dark metal.
Why surviving rings are so rare
Iron is unforgiving. Once its lacquer wears away it rusts, and most Berlin iron jewellery simply has not survived. What does survive is mostly bracelets and necklaces; rings, worn daily, knocked and washed, are far scarcer. The most important collections are held by museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen and the Neues Museum in Berlin.
Our ring is in very good condition for its age. There are small areas of discolouration and light surface rust, typical of surviving Berlin iron and part of its honesty as an object.
The details
- Cast Berlin iron, circa 1820
- Octagonal bezel, 15mm x 12mm, with a clover enclosing a cross, heart and anchor
- Relief-worked scroll and floral shoulders; band 4mm at the back
- Weight 11.97g
- UK size Y½ / US 12¼, a generous size suited to a man's hand or a bold statement ring
View the Berlin iron signet ring, or browse our antique signet rings and Georgian jewellery.