Posted 10 years ago
janglayne
(1 item)
A friend of mine found this piece in what remained of an old two story farm house that was on some property he purchased. I'm not sure how old the house was but he said the top floor had collapsed leaving basically a shell filled with a lot of debris. He found this piece in what he thought to be an old chest of drawers along with vintage gold and shell carved cameo brooch.
The piece is approx. 2 and 5/16" long (not including the top bale), and 1 and 9/16" wide. It weights approx 20.12 grams. I can't find any marks on the piece, so I would like any assistance in identifying a maker, style or an age if possible.
Look at the design of the mounting ... EXTRAORDINARY !!!!!
This may seem like an odd question, but where is the farmhouse?
It was in Tennessee or possible right over the state line into Alabama.
Wow beautiful!
I had a thought, but the geography makes it highly improbable. Such a curious piece because the carving is fantastic, but the gem setting is crude. I like that paradox.
I keep thinking about your friend's piece. Does he know the names of the prior occupants?
I have no other information on the property or previous occupants. I was given the piece for safekeeping about three years ago and have had it ever since. I am giving my best guess on the location of the property since I can't recall exactly. I only know that is was in South Eastern Tennessee or a neighboring lower state. I put it on here as a shot in the dark since my research over the past years has not yielded any solid information either.
The friend who left it with me was really into Native American artifacts - arrow heads, axes, pottery etc. He unfortunately didn't know squat about jewelry and I thought with a little research and a trusty jewelers loupe I might be able to shine some light on the piece. I have not been able to find any kind of mark on the piece, and just found it odd that it seems to be so intricately made - at least the carving aspect and yet not signed at all.
I have for the last 3 years found the piece very curious also. I always find it stored away when looking for something and start trying to find out something more about it.
It has always seemed odd to me as well that the carving is so well done yet the stones and the way they are set is so simple. Event the choice of the stones don't seem to be the greatest of quality/color. Like someone made an awesome pendant and then gave it to a newbie to finish who found whatever was laying around.
I can see why you're captivated by this piece. It really is mysterious. I'll keep my eye out for similar work.