DATE: Victorian, c.1800

A remarkable Victorian silver band with the words "Bretange A Ma Vie", translating to Brittany until I die/to my life. The St Malo, Brittany symbol, an ermine is applied along with initials of Anne of Brittany, A. 

A nice story I must say, however her motto was already used by past generations and she just kept it. What it really meant was that the dukes of Brittany and now Anne of Brittany vowed to rather die than let Brittany fall in the hands of France.

The Brittany flag or Breton for "white and black" was created by Morvan Marchal in 1923, taking inspiration from the ermine which form the pattern in the top left corner of the Breton flag and represent the way the black-tipped tails were hung on the white fur.

I was unsure about the history of this ring, however asking a family member who grew up in Brittany, I was surprised on how much history this holds. It was most likely owned by a corsair or proud French person. 

MEASUREMENTS 

Width of band: 1.6cm

WEIGHT 

 4g

MARKS 

 No marks present, tests as sterling silver 

CONDITION 

 Very good, with antique patina