The Jane Austen newswires has been all abuzz about the ring that was going up for auction.
The ring was sold for $236,557 by a private bidder.
All the news reports (here’s MSNBC’s coverage) give a brief rundown of the first 3 owners of the ring after Jane.
Jane gave it to Cassandra on her death.
Cassandra gave it to Eleanor Jackson when she became engaged to Henry Austen. Eleanor was the second wife of Henry.
Eleanor gave the ring to Caroline Austen who was the daughter of James Austen and his second wife Mary Lloyd. Caroline authored the book “My Aunt Jane.”
It is this branch of the Austen family that we own much since it was decedent Joan Austen-Leigh who did her family duty and founded JASNA. You can read a piece she wrote for Persuasions also called My Aunt Jane.
If there is any more information about the history of the ring or if we get information on the buyer I’ll be sure to share it all with you!
-Amelia
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 