Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report
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Enameled Copper Dug Mystery Item.
Just Over One Inch Long. |
I've made a lot of mistakes. The good thing is that when you realize that you made a mistake, you probably learned something and can improve your performance by avoiding making the same mistake again in the future.
There are some mistakes I've made that I'll never forget. I mentioned some of those in the past. I'm reminded of some of the big ones repeatedly.
For example, I often remember the time many years ago when I dug a cloisonne ring just a little north of the Turtle Trail access. As soon as I saw that beautiful cloisonne ring emerge from the sand, I dismissed it as being modern and quickly pocketed it. It looked too good to be old - or so I thought. I didn't know at the time that enameling and cloisonne had been done for thousands of years, so I didn't think much of it, and put it away. It wasn't until years later that I learned better.
If you watch Oak Island, you probably have accumulated a long list of grossly incorrect statements relative to metal detecting. Most recently I heard it said on the program that if an item is crude, that means it is old. Of course, anyone who has ever heard of Michelangelo knows that is not true. You can't judge the age of a find by its crudeness. As a generalization, that one is simply incorrect. There were amazing complex, refined, and beautiful things made hundreds of years ago, as well as crude things. The same is true today.
Along with the cross I showed yesterday, I've been cleaning the mystery item shown above. It is enameled. I don't know how old it is. It looks brighter and more colorful than shown in the photo, and the metal is the color of copper rather than silver or grey. The colors are more vibrant in real life.
As you can see, the links on both sides are broken. It is seed shape and feels heavier than you might expect. The image on both sides is the same. Some of the blue has worn off. I think some was already gone when it was dug, but I think I lost a little in the cleaning process too. Unfortunately, when cleaning old layered items, whether they are gilt, plated or enameled, you can lose some of the layering in the cleaning process. I don't want to lose any more enamel, so I won't clean it any more. The other colors are green, yellow and brown. They give the feeling of steppingstones around the blue flowers. This one doesn't seem to me to be as fine as others that I've shown.
That is just another one of those little mysteries presented by the beach as a gift.
Here is a link to a good site on enamalwork.
Enamelwork - Western European | Britannica
And here are a couple previous posts showing cloisonne finds.
The one below also has a good list of items to consider when dating finds.
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The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum is offering $25,000 to the lucky person who finds the fallen meteor from space, which was detected by NASA radar just before noon Saturday...
Meteorite hunters may be able to triangulate where the space junk landed based on radar detection and any video clips of the fireball captured by home surveillance cameras or dash cams, Felch told the outlet.
“Depending on the composition of the meteorite it could be more difficult or easier to find,” he added. “A metallic meteorite is easier to identify in the field, while a stony [one] can be more difficult for someone who is not experienced with identifying these extraterrestrial objects.”...
Here is the link.
Museum offers $25K to whoever finds meteorite that crashed in Maine (nypost.com)
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Research has shown that spending time in nature under clear blue skies can boost your mental health, but the new research suggests perhaps looking at a sunset or sunrise can be an extra boost for your emotional state. That even includes sunsets on paintings or screen savers, too...
Here is the link for more about that.
Why we should all be gazing at more sunsets (msn.com)
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Good hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
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