5/29/22 Report - Friendship Bracelet and Rings from 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Beaches. Chemists Bottle Find.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Silver Bracelet Believed To Be a 1715 Fleet Artifact.

Going back over old finds and memories, one thing that impresses me is the importance of initial impression of finds.  In some cases, I thought items were good, got excited, and later found out that the item was nothing exciting, In a few cases, I failed to recognize items that were good and either discarded them or didn't treat them carefully enough.  In some cases I kept items I wasn't sure about, and over time realized that they were something special.

Here is an example that I made years ago.  As time goes by (probably 20 years or so), I become more and more confident that it is actually a 1715 artifact, although I don't have what I would call proof.  We usually don't have proof, even though we might have convincing evidence.

Being found on a 1715 shipwreck beach provides some context, but the most convincing thing to me after having studied a good bit, is the form of the item.  The features strongly suggest to me that the bracelet is from an 18th century or other similarly early source.

The hands and cuffs on the ends of the bracelet seem to me to be of the proper age and style.

Two Views of Hand on End of Silver Bracelet.

Each hand is only about 3/8 inches long from beginning of the cuff to the end of the knuckles.

At the top of the post is the entire bracelet, which is what I think it is.

The hands on both ends are very similar, the one of the left is just at an angle that doesn't show well in the first photo.

It is about the right size for a bracelet.  It would fit around most wrists if it was not stretched open as it is now.  

Notice how the cuffs match the cuffs shown in the image below.

Ruffled Cuffs.

Hands are not unusual on pieces of 18th century jewelry, which include Claddagh rings, which were popular during the 18th century.

Below is a 18th century Claddagh ring.  Notice the ruffled cuffs.

18th Century Claddagh Ring From Pinterest.

The MelFisher store shows a ring with clasped hands that is a replica of a friendship ring found on a 1715 wreck, and Deagan, in her book on Spanish colonial artifacts shows a silver Claddagh ring attributed to a 1715 Fleet shipwreck.

The clasped hands symbolize friendship or a love relationship.

Here is one I found on a 1715 wreck beach.

Claddagh Ring From 1715 Wreck Beach.

In summary, as the years go by, it seems I become more and more convinced the bracelet is a 1715 Fleet artifact, although I can't be 100% certain.  At this point, my degree of certainty is something like 98%.  Along with the location of the find, the style is very similar to other 18th century items.

The bracelet and ring together make a nice set.

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I took a little walk the other day and came up with a bottle embossed Eddy & Eddy, Chemists, St. Louis.  I found one of those before.  Here is a quick video of the find.

Walk Along Indian River Lagoon.

I also found some other things, which I'll study and post some other time.

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I posted some more bottles on TreasureGuide's Bottle Barn (tgbottlebarn.blogspot.com)

I'm trying to get bottles documented.

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Expect nothing more than a two or three foot surf on the Treasure Coast this week.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net