Posted 9 years ago
Efesgirl
(1017 items)
One of my flea market finds this morning - $1.00. Measurements are 1 1/2"x 1 3/4". It was either made into a pendant using a silver mount (attached with a transparent adhesive) after the pin had broken or the mount was already there and the pin happened to bite the dust. Doesn't look/feel like a modern plastic. The center flowers were made separately. I find this pendant to be "Gothically beautiful".
I think this is made from vulcanite, or gutta percha, a type of resin the Victorian's used for mourning lockets. This I learned after posting my own similar brooch!
Aha! I remember that word, now that you mention it! I also saw a piece of jewelry on "Flog It" which was made from vulcanite. Thanks for jogging my memory, racer4four! I will have to go and look at your brooch.
I believe this is Jet. Jet & jet jewellery - Whitby Museum
http://www.whitbymuseum.org.uk/collections/jett.htm
Popular in Victorian times as mourning jewellery.
GeodeJem - this particular one isn't jet. This is molded rather than carved and is a dull black as opposed to a shiny black. :)
Vulcanite can sometimes smell of sulphur or bunt rubber .like it Fashionable after the death of Queen Victoria's husband (Albert ) as she wore blck there after . Sort of Mourning Jewellry
ozmarty - Thanks for your comment. I think mourning jewelry is very interesting. Never expected to find a piece at a flea market for a buck :-)
thanks, all!
Lovely. I think it could be Jet. Pins, hinges etc are usually glued to Jet because it's not stable enough to support much drilling into it. I live just up the road from Whitby and I've been really lucky picking up pieces here and there in charity shops etc. Jet is having a bit of a revival in the UK and I like to moon over mine now and again in the small hours, like an old miser. If you scrape Jet along a piece of white ceramic (carefully though, and in a out of sight spot) it leaves a brown streak.
What a find though :))