London Mudlarking - a human jawbone & gold!

Ms. Nicola! I'm a jeweler, and hoping I can finally help shed some light on one of your finds :) The hallmark on your ring most likely actually says '750' which indicates 18k gold. At first glance it looks to me to be from the Art Deco era, and that the stone is an amethyst. The ring is not terribly finely made (I would imagine you worked that out from its simplicity and uneven engraved decorations), but a lot of work has gone into it, and it has been well-loved. The ring was made by a method called 'fabrication', meaning that nothing was cast, and every piece of the ring was built by bending and soldering flat sheet and wire pieces together. You can tell this from seeing the solder seams (I saw one on the bezel/collet [part that holds the stone], and also seams going from the band pieces to the bezel, as well as some holding the decorated wings of the ring band onto ring band's base). The two most obvious solder seams are the two on the bottom side of the ring band, and these indicate that this ring has been sized to become larger (one seam means smaller b/c a piece was taken out - two seams means larger b/c a piece had to be added in). Hallmarking in Britain/Europe tends to be fairly strictly regulated so I would guess your 18k stamp is accurate, however if I saw a ring like this in the US I would be suspicious because that hallmark was stamped on the piece that was added in, not on the original ring. Hope this is helpful - I know you like learning the stories of things you find.

It’s 3 a.m. and I’m lying on my couch recovering from a bad cold, watching these videos, and having a lovely time. It’s so relaxing. I guess I’m weird?

Hi Nicola, I’m an old lady, I live in Rome Italy, I want you say that your video are the best, I dream with you, more video please ❤️

Childhood is certainly fleeting! When I was a child myself, in the 1980s, my grandmother took me to visit an old woman one of her sisters was sitting with. She was born in the 1890s, and her husband had graduated medical school and become a doctor in 1908 if I remember right. She pointed out his sheepskin degree hanging on her wall. It is her generation, and those before, that as children played with porcelain, ceramic, wooden and lead toys and yes they are gone! Long gone... I love your videos Nicola. :)

I found human skull on the beach too. It turned out to be Mesolithic-stone age. That jaw looks very old. Enjoying your uploads.

Your finds go from ghoulish to great.Thanks for sharing Nicola

That doll's pitcher would make a beautiful necklace charm. I wear them like that. I love this channel so far!

Another fabulous hunt! A reminder of times gone by from the war; a coin from the remainder of a dynasty, a remnant from some poor soul, an ancient gold ring with a beautiful stone and a child's toy creamer. You are without a doubt one of the premier discoverers of vintage, haunting and antiquity finds! Great work and as we here in the States say, "Good Eye!".

I love your videos! Such interesting things you find....can't wait for the next one. Also cannot wait on the update for the ring and jawbone!

Thankyou Nicola, another great adventure and loved your finds and keep the videos coming, love watching you discover old artefacts and coins. Cheers🇦🇺👍🏻👏👏👏💖

While hiking this past weekend, I told my friend about your channel and that you once found a jaw bone. His fear is the same as mine when it comes to exploring archaeological sites as often as we do, finding human remains is only a matter of time. Not so much as the ancient remains but recent ones. Some of the wilderness areas we explore are very remote. Discovering a body or "parts" is a unnerving thought.

Thanks Nicola always fun to watch and see what you find out there!

Nicola, I’m a fairly new subscriber and never knew mudlarking was a thing. Close to home in Southern Indiana, USA, we have a small park along a river with a low head dam and private vacation shanties up stream. Over the years many things have washed down stream or have been dumped there by the railroad and power company. I love walking the river’s edge looking for curious things and wondering what they are and who they belonged to. Sometimes around the shell midddens I’ve found First Nation artifacts, and always, I find weird parts to toys or old household artifacts. Until now, I never knew the fun I was having was called mudlarking. Thank you for the edutainment and please stay awesome.

you are a fantastic seeker! the most beautiful thing is that you share your discoveries and make happy others who have the same passions! Congratulations!👍

Congrats on the ring Nicola, Awesome! & Another great outing for us viewers thank you. Barry

...Your mandible find has me remembering an incident up in a small town in West Perthshire, Scotland, though this wasn't mudlarking by any means. When I was 6 or maybe 7 years old. My friends (John D & Eddie D ) my twin brother (Adam) and I were playing hide & seek in John's back garden (our b/gardens were connected)...part of the garden was home to a large ladder store, which had multiple hiding places. So I climbed in, and way at the back was this 'you'll-never-find-me' spot...while setting myself up for a quick getaway if I was indeed spotted, I put my hand on what I thought was a roundish rock/stone, finding it smooth to the touch, I lifted it up too where I could view it...only to find it was the top half of an old, greenish human skull...I can't honestly remember if I screamed or not (...i don't think I did, tbh) but I do remember bringing it out and showing it to my wide-eyed pals and then it being whipped out of my hands by John's Dad (known as Johnny) who was a Cabinet Maker & Funeral Director, who happily informed us, and I quote: "ach is that anither skull ye've foond?...we've had them turnin' up for years"...it happened that their 'back garden' (and ours) was, in fact, an ancient graveyard used by the early inhabitants of the town, dating back to 1304. I later found out that it had been 'moved', remains and all, to another site in the town. Strange But True. :) Thanks for the vid, Nicola ;)

Old gold and old bones , amazing! You have had a very rewarding trip to the Thames !!! Well done You! 😊

Love your videos. I am shamelessly envious of your having access to so many awesome historical finds.

love, love, love watching you and the treasures you find

PS: I love your videos. I used to mudlark as a child in creeks behind my home. From Texas with love....