Posted 8 years ago
Efesgirl
(1017 items)
This bangle came from the same shop as all that gold. All the jewelry is a buck. I can hardly wait to see what awaits me next Tuesday. There is still a truckload of jewelry to be seen!
Thank you to valentino97 for solving my Mystery!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Bonnie~
Is it not perlite.
No, Perlite is a volcanic glass.
Could be a Gaelic motif with the fish. Looks molded maybe Gutta Percha ? It will give off an acrid, rubber smell when rubbed briskly. Vulcanite when rubbed against unglazed tile or the bottom of a piece of porcelain, leaves a brown streak (but such tests should be performed carefully to avoid damaging the surface of a piece of jewelry). This method is not foolproof, however, since jet can behave similarly. Just some info I came across Bonnie on a Victorian jewelry site I have bookmarked. :)
Hi Mike - I will try it out tomorrow. A Gaelic motief is an interesting idea. I'm sure it's not jet, as it's not cold and is a dull black color. I had thought about gutta percha, but the color doesn't seem right. Well, Tuesday may tell the tale!
Only other material that springs to mind is Irish Bog Oak.........I don't think it would be Whitby Jet...... but just guessing!
@val - it's not new. A ton of jewelry was given to a very small local thrift shop - 8 jewelry boxes full - and this bracelet was among the stuff. There are quite a few mid-century and earlier pieces, so I imagine that this is also an older bracelet. I never thought about it being black cinnabar. Going to go look that up! Thanks for the tip.
valentino97 has solved my Mystery. The bangle is made of black cinnabar. The bracelet has suffered a bit of damage - a couple of fish are missing the ends of their snouts. There are no marks on the inside of the bangle, but it is definitely hand carved.
There has to be a better way to describe the testing process Mike. It's so hot out all I can think of with your post is my X. LOL
Sorry Bonnie, but good find non the less. I just got the giggles reading that.
LOL @ OGF! :-))))
Love it!