Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Silver Bracelet Found on Treasure Coast Beach. |
I had several topics on my mind today and it took until late before I decided which one I would tackle today. I decided to look at three different silver bracelets that were found on Treasure Coast beaches.
The silver bracelet above is one I showed before, but I wanted to take another look. I have a reason.
This bracelet was found on a 1715 beach, but I didn't jump to any conclusions about its source. One of the things common to all three of the silver bracelets I'll show today is the remaining uncertainty.
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| Hands on Ends of Bracelet Shown Above. |
On the ends of the thin bracelet are hands which are very much like some you'll see on items that are hundreds of years old. Of course, that isn't proof of anything, but it is something that might be taken into consideration. I've seen numerous examples of similar hands on three-hundred-year-old jewelry Notice the cuffs, which are like those shown in the illustration below.
From the source (Treasure Coast beach), amount of corrosion, and shape of motifs similar to other old items. it might seem like this item has a good chance of being pretty old.
The hands seen on old friendship rings and bracelets are often clasped, unlike the ones on this bracelet.
Like Claddagh rings, which have changed little if at all over the centuries, it can be difficult to differentiate those that are old from those that are modern, especially since there are so many good reproductions or copies of old items made in modern times.
In fact, Mitch King found a very similar modern bracelet for sale online (below).
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| Modern Bracelet That is Nearly an Exact Match. Contributed by Mitch King. |
Now that is almost the same, although there are small differences. The hands are a little different and the cuffs are even more different. Those aren't big differences and are certainly not conclusive.
It is so much easier to copy than come up with something unique and new. I don't know which this item is, but it certainly is brand new, and the location of the find is suggestive. It was found low on a spot on a 1715 wreck beach where numerous artifacts have been found.
So now I am about fifty/fifty again. I have found other 1715 Fleet items in the same area, which influences my thinking but does not prove anything.
Moving on to another silver bracelet find.
Here is another silver bracelet from the Treasure Coast. The progression of my thinking on this one was different.
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| Clasp and Link on Treasure Coast Bracelet Find. |
I don't remember exactly where the above bracelet was found. I don't think it took it as being hundreds of years old at first, but years later I found the same type of simple clasp on an item documented to be centuries old. That clasp (shown below) was found in the Mel Fisher artifact database.
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| Simple Silver Clasp. |
The clasp appears to me to be of a simple construction and hand made. Additional research on the prevalence of that kind of clasp in different time periods might help.
And now to the third silver bracelet example.
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| Curved Silver Strip Curved Like a Bracelet Found on 1715 Fleet Beach |
This one is a simple strip of silver, heavily blackened, and curved to make a perfect fit for a bracelet. Because of where this one was found, I took it to be a shipwreck item from the very beginning. Not only was it suitably blackened, but, like the first item above, several other old items were found in the same location.
It is unmarked. Two of the four corners on the strip are rounded. The most challenging thing about it is that two of the corners seem to be unfinished. Two are rounded off, while two are sharp corners, as would be the case if the strip simply came to an end. For a long time, I thought it might be an unfinished piece, but it could simply be silver scrap that happens to make a decent bracelet.
When I scanned this one with a microscope to see if I could find any marks, I was somewhat surprised to see the striations shown below.
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| Surface of Silver Item Magnified. |
I originally assumed that the strip was flattened by a roller, which was a commonly used technique for centuries, however this closeup view shows that if it was rolled, something else was done to the surface. The striations don't run parallel as I'd expect if they were from a roller. I think the surface was modified for appearance, but, of course, am not sure of that.
It is easy to come to a conclusion. Some people jump to conclusions quickly. That is ok, I guess, and may be satisfying, but may not satisfy everybody. I believe that items found by salvors and archaeologists are often incorrectly identified but are accepted based upon expert opinion. How often are finds said to rewrite the history books? Knowledge changes, and they wouldn't be tempted to rewrite the history books unless they were wrong to begin with. But as long as everybody accepts something as true, for most purposes, it might as well be.
One thing I really liked about working in a university is the access to equipment and research resources. I really miss that.
I'd like to get into a long and detailed discussion of epistemology and human cognition but will avoid that - at least for now.
For me, the search for truth is a big part of the fun of the metal detecting hobby.
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| Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com. |
Notice the bump predicted for Monday.
Good hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net