Gold posy ring 'Let vertue be thy gu(ide)'. A slim D-shape band, engraved to the interior in italic script 'Let vertue be thy gu(ide)', approximately 2mm in width. Tested yellow gold, approximately 1.7 grams in weight, maker's mark 'I.K.' in a rectangular punchmark, lion for London, circa 18th century.
The maker's mark 'I.K' is for John King, apprenticed in 1750, with the approximate active dates of 1775-1800, see 'London Goldsmiths 1697-1837 Their Marks and Lives', Grimwade, A.G., 1976, p. 110 and 571. This posy motto was a stock favourite, with several different versions of the phrase being catalogued in 'English Posies and Posy Rings', Evans, J., 1931, p.68-69.
