3/8/16 Report - Civil War Blockade Runner. Sterling Silver and Jade. Blue Dragon Creatures. Surfs Up.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Sonar of Civil War Era Steamer.

The vessel is believed to possibly be the remains of one of three blockade runners used to penetrate the wall of Union naval vessels blocking the port of Wilmington during the Civil War. The goal of the Union blockade was to keep supplies from reaching the Confederacy through one of its most important ports and to prevent the export of cotton and other marketable items by the Southerners. The wreck is located 27 miles downstream from Wilmington near Fort Caswell at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and is the first Civil War-era vessel discovered in the area in decades...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.ncdcr.gov/press-release/significant-civil-war-era-shipwreck-discovered-nc-coast

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Bracelet Found Near Fort Pierce When A Tree Was Removed.

I posted this photo a few days ago.  It was taken to a jeweler who identified it as being sterling silver and jade.  I had the metal right but not the stone.  I haven't arrived at an opinion on this one yet.

Here is what one site (link below) said about jade.

Jade  A smooth green stone with even texture that has long been used for carving and for jewelry.The term jade refers to two minerals: jadeite and nephrite. These minerals are similar in appearance but jadeite has more intense color and translucency so is more highly valued and thought to be the true jade. Colors of jade vary from mottled green and white, to yellow, pink, purple, and black. The most valuable form of jade, imperial jade, is emerald green and comes from Myanmar. Jade is also found in California, Mexico, and Central and South America. Jade is an ancient symbol of love and virtue. It is thought to protect the kidneys, liver, spleen, heart, larynx, thymus, and thyroid. Ancient people thought that wearing jade would increase body strength and add longevity.

Here is the link for that.

http://www.horsekeeping.com/jewelry/stones2.htm

Here is an interesting tid bit.

Dating back to the time of primitive man, silver has been referred to by many different naming conventions. The story of how the word "sterling" was incorporated into the name is rooted in 12th-century lore. As payment for English cattle, an association of eastern Germans compensated the British with silver coins dubbed "Easterlings." Eventually, the Easterling was widely accepted as a standard of English currency. The name was ultimately abbreviated to "Sterling," which is now used to refer to the highest grade of silver metal.

The official designation of "sterling" to a piece of silver indicates that it contains at least 92.5% of pure silver. The remaining 7.5% can be comprised of any other metal alloy, most commonly copper. Although it may seem that an even higher silver content would be desirable, that's not actually the case. Metal alloys with a silver content of more than 92.5% are too pliable to be used without suffering from dents and dings. The second alloy is required to ensure the metal's stability and resilience.

Here is the source link for that.

http://www.silvergallery.com/history-of-sterling-silver/

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Here is another creature with a sting showing up along the coast - the blue dragon.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-blue-dragon-invades-beach-20160305-story.html

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On the Treasure Coast the surf is up to something like 3 - 5 feet.  The tides are pretty big too.  Unfortunately the wind is somewhat southerly.

I still haven't been able to get out to the beach to take a look, so am not sure exactly what is happening.

Someday I'll be able to do a beach survey again.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net