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which are mentioned by Wood (Mason 2005:173). However, it is important to realize
that the “white” metal, (be it silver or pewter) is not the typical material for the Jesuit-
style finger rings, and that dating a site based on the presence of silver or copper
articles appears to be foolhardy (Mason 2005:175).
Related to the discussion of ring terminology is the area of ring craftsmanship.
In short, not all Jesuit-style rings were made the same way, and how they were made
and decorated was debatable – until very recently. In 2009, Carol Mason and Kathleen
Ehrhardt published a study containing the results of an archaeo-metallurgical
investigation conducted on a sample of twenty-five Jesuit rings from five seventeenth
and eighteenth century sites in the Northeast and western Great Lakes. The results of
both radiographic and optical examination demonstrated that “the rings themselves
were all cast as one piece” and were done so with fairly good quality (Mason and
Ehrhardt 2009:62). The method of casting is also described in detail:
Close optical examination indicates that many of the rings may have been cast
in permanent, multiple piece molds. This type of mold was reusable, allowing
for the creation of identical rings. Rings could also have been cast in multiples
in a tree-like mold using the lost-wax method. (Mason and Ehrhardt 2009:62)
In addition, “the decorations on the ring plaque were either applied as part of
the casting process or applied afterwards to a blank plaque by stamping or punching
with a die, and/or by engraving” (Mason and Ehrhardt 2009:62). The metallurgical
analysis shows that “no ring was made of pure, unalloyed copper” and that all pieces
contained varying percentages of zinc, tin and lead – a recipe also known as
“gunmetal.” This broad composition characterized the majority of rings in Mason and
Ehrhardt’s sample (Mason and Ehrhardt 2009:63-64). As a result, Mason and Ehrhardt
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