7/17/20 Report - Metal Detecting On Vacations. Odd Ring Find. Use the Context of the Appropriate Time And Place.

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

Silver Mine in Colorado.

This time of year Floridians often think of vacations in cooler areas.  I always enjoyed Colorado, and took the photo shown above.  You can probably see the silver mine in the middle of the photo.

Metal detecting new places, whether it is a Caribbean Island or the Rocky Mountain,s is always fun but presents the challenge of not knowing the site as well as you would on your home turf.

Detecting a resort in the Caribbean is very much like detecting a Florida beach.  One difference is the hot rocks on some of the Caribbean islands..  

One thing I'd recommend if you ever get the chance is taking the train from Durango to Silverton.  Silverton is an small old mining town that looks like a Western TV set, and the train passes some of the most amazing scenery you'll see anywhere.  

I saw a fellow dredging in the water shown below as the train neared Silverton.  Of course the water is much cooler than ours.

Nearing Silverton Colorado.

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When I was looking through some old photos I noticed a picture of an odd ring find that I put away in a box a long time ago.  I decided to take another look at it, now that I have a good digital telescope and considerably more experience than when I originally found the ring.

The ring was gold gilt or plated and had a very hard black encrustation with shells embedded.  The black crust is unusual and looks like blacktop, though I am sure it is not.  

I decided to do some cleaning on the ring, and managed to move some of the stubborn encrustation, but also in the process removed much most of the gold gilt.

Two Photos of the Half Cleaned or Half Dirty Ring.

As you can see a lot of the gilt was removed by the acid.  That is one thing that can happen with acid cleaning.

I'm still curious about the odd shape of the ring and wondered if anyone has any idea of age or anything else.

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We often judge previous generations by 21st century context or our own standards.  I was watching the Finding Your Roots TV show on PBS, and it was mentioned that one of the guest's ancestors was a slave and slept on a sack of straw.  They responded to "sack of straw" with horror, as if it was some kind of torture.  The evils of slavery are well known, but sleeping on a sack of straw was not an indignity.

Bill Bryson in At Home: A Short History of Private Life cites an 18th century book, Good-Holmes Cyclopedia, which lists ten mattress types or stuffings.  The listed mattress fillings are down, feathers, wool, wool-flock, hair, cotton, wood-shavings, sea-moss, sawdust, and straw.  Bryson goes on to state, "Historically, the most basic common filling was straw."  Did they think that everyone in the 18th century were sleeping on Sealy Posturpedic mattresses with My-Pillow bed toppers.  Any mattress might be considered an option, and often pioneer beds, if there was one, were nothing more than wood shelves.

Thirteen.org described frontier bedding as follows:

Bedding on the frontier was, predictably, less than luxurious. While some families hauled featherbeds and pillows to their new homes, many people had to create their beds on the frontier. The simplest beds were rough bunks, consisting of wooden planks supported by boards or pegs. These "sleeping shelves," which merely kept the sleeper off the floor, were simply covered over with blankets and quilts. Other homesteaders stuffed their own mattresses, utilizing materials that were readily available on the frontier, such as prairie grass or buffalo hair. However, one newspaper warned that "A bed of 'prairie feathers' [cut grass] is not very comfortable at any time, and warmth is not one of its inherent qualities." Regardless of what material they were stuffed with, homemade mattresses were placed on wooden frames, with "bedsprings" comprised of tightly stretched rope.

I read that the expression "sleep tight" originally referred to that rope being stretched tight.

Here is that link.

https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay5_3.html

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The blogger editor is slow and cumbersome.  I'm going to have to make some changes before long.  I've been putting it off.

No storms to watch.  Hot weather.  Flat surf and small tides on the Treasure Coast.  

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

7/15/20 Report - Beginner's Luck. Old Gold Metal Detector Finds. A Super Answer. The Second 2.5 Million Views.

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

Sword Mount Found by Beginning Detectorist.
See BBC.com link below.

A woman who inherited a metal detector and found two rare Anglo-Saxon items within three months said it was a case of "beginner's luck".

Mel Hollwoger, 54, unearthed a sword scabbard mount and rare gold band in fields near her home in Aldborough, Norfolk.

The mount was valued at £25,000 and both have been declared treasure.

Ms Hollwoger only took up the hobby to accompany her partner who used to hunt with his late father.

She inherited his metal detector and three months after finding her first piece, unearthed the gold, gem and cut-glass band...

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-52985523

I've heard some people say that it is skill instead of luck for them, but who can say exactly what they will find on any particular day.  Your greatest finds seem to always be a surprise.  Isn't part of the fun of metal detecting going out there not knowing what is waiting for you hidden in the sand and then seeing the object emerge for the first time?

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Now there are wedding bands made of silicon!

https://www.saferingz.com/

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14th Century Ring Found in Box of Old Finds After Nearly 40 Years.
Source: bbc.com - link below

A retired man has found a 14th Century gold ring in his garage, nearly 40 years after he first discovered it.

Tom Clark, 81, located the seal ring in a tin at his Buckinghamshire home among items which had come from his late mother's house.

The Aylesbury metal detectorist had first discovered it on farmland between 1979 and 1982, but had not realised the significance of the find.

It could now fetch up to £10,000 at auction...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49458604

That happens if you detect long enough.  You don't always know the value of a find when you first find it and then you throw it in a box where it stays for years.   Then years later when you look through your old finds and discover that you have something that you failed to appreciate before.   But that only happens if you don't get careless and lose or throw things like that out.

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Here is a video you might like.  It is not about metal detecting, but is still something I think you should see.  It is an exceptionally good answer to the difficult question: where did God come from.  

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=best+answer+ever+god+not+in+time+space+matter+kovind&docid=607995797983332163&mid=6089B953EA031BEBB5AE6089B953EA031BEBB5AE&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

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I was forced to start using the most recent blog editor, which caused a few unexpected and unwanted changes to the blog.  I'll have to make more changes before long.  I've mentioned that my new posts will be in a separate blog with a different link.  I don't think that will cause any problems.  I'll try not to change too much else.

I've done this blog for a long time now.  There were forums and discussion groups, but this blog began before Facebook and many of the other social media platforms that now exist.  In fact I was not aware of any other metal detecting blog sites when I began this one.  Since then they have become common.  

There have been changes.  One that I really regret is blogger removing the survey app.  I could have learned to use some other survey app, but just didn't take the time to figure that out yet.  

There are a couple changes to blogger, and I don't have all of it worked out yet.  

I didn't expect to be doing this so long, and I don't know how people ever found this blog, but some have been reading this blog daily for a lot of years now.  Some of you have been with me since the blog began.  Other loyal readers and contributors passed away.  I mentioned a few of those.  

As I recently mentioned, the blogger Page View counter went over 2.5 million recently.   It is already showing thousands over 2.5 million now.  I don't know exactly how it works, and I'd like to have it posted on the front page.  I lost the "hit" counter that used to be displayed on the front page when I switched to the new editor.  That is too bad, but it didn't count exactly the same way as the page view counter.  

I never did any advertising or promotion or never looked into optimization or whatever they do, so I don't know how people ever found the site.  It must be completely word-of-mouth. 

Since I don't advertise or try to promote or sell anything at all.  It is simply something I started when I took on responsibilities that kept me from going out detecting very much, so it kept me involved by trying to help other people.   At the same time it did help me.  By attempting to communicate clearly it forced me to really think things through more completely than I otherwise would.  I enjoy enjoy and benefit from that process.  I also benefit from the many stories and contributions that people send to me.

Thanks for your kindness and assistance.

---.

No storms to watch.  

The surf is only one or two feet, and the tides are small.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/23/19 Report - Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet: Beach Photos and Reports.

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

Jupiter Inlet Beach.

Photo by Joe D.

Yesterday I checked out a few South Hutchinson Island beaches and posted photos of those beaches.  I mentioned that I didn't know what was going on with the Vero/Sebastian beaches.  Steve M. sent me photos from that area, and Joe D. sent me photos of Jupiter Beach. Those reports together with mine will give you a good idea of what the beaches around the Treasure Coast are doing.

First, here is what Joe had to say.

I haven't been to the inlet beach for a few months, but went yesterday morning at low tide after looking at the beach cam online! There was a huge cliff at the lifeguard stands, and the rocks were exposed near the jetty! I haven't seen this for s good while, since they usually add sand when it erodes this far back! In fact, they are adding sand in front of the condo's to the south as we speak! I hope they leave the inlet beach alone for awhile longer! 

There were 4 other detectorists working the beach near me, so i left that area for last! When i did work my way over there, i found several coins and a 14ct. Gold ring that they had missed! The Equinox did me well! There was also very little trash, since the renurishment sand was gone, and we were into some older layers finally!   

    

           

Jupiter Inlet Beach.

Photo by Joe D.

Renourishment at Jupiter Beach.

Photo by Joe D.

Finds From Jupiter Beach Including Gold Ring

by Joe D.

Thanks Joe, and congratulations on the gold.  Also, some super hero figures can bring surprising prices.  I've found a few that I've sold.

Yesterday I showed a few of the South Hutchinson Island beaches and mentioned that I didn't know what was going on in the Vero/Sebastian area.  Steve M. then sent in the following photos from that area.

Here is what Steve said.

My wife and went to the beach today to check for erosion. First we went to Tracking Beach as last time we went to go there it was closed and a sign said dune renourishment going on. We immediately went to Jaycee park, to see, but it looked like trucked in sand piled up. Today we found that they made the dune go seaward about 40’ and planted sea oats on it. So first stop, top 2 pics, are South and North of Turtle trail. Beach had a lot of sand up high. But eroded at beach. Next 2 down were Golden Sands. Same conditions. Next 2 down are Treasure Shores, same. Last are Sebastian inlet state park. Same condition. 

And here are those photos.

Turtle Trail Sunday.

Photo by Steven M.

Turtle Trail Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Golden Sands Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Treasure Shores Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Treasure Shores Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Sebastian Inlet State Park Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Sebastian Inlet State Park Sunday.

Photo by Steve M.

Thanks for all the photos Joe and Steve.  Taking those photos with the ones I showed yesterday gives a pretty good sample of the area beaches.  As you can see, as is often the case, some areas are eroded while others are not.  You might have to visit more than one or two to find the one you will want to spend your time on.

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I'm expecting a couple days of reduced surf before another increase.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/13/19 Report - Gold Ring Find. Beach Conditions and Increasing Surf.

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

10K Claddagh Ring Find

Find and Photo by Warren D.

I received the above photo and following report from Warren D. yesterday (Tuesday).

I've been at Turtle Trail for the past 3 days enjoying the erosion with  the crowd of detectorists. Didn't have much luck until today. I found a Claddagh ring. It appears to have been there a while, long enough to get a little green inside the band. My first reaction was is this old but with a close look I saw the 10K in the band.

The funny thing is today the beach was somewhat sanded compared to the previous 2 days.

Also very few detectorists today compared to the crowd over the weekend and that crowd had the latest and greatest detectors.

I didn't take today seriously and brought my old Minelab Sovereign XS 2a Pro detector with a pair of new headphones my niece sent me designed to be used for music listening. It has a 550 meter that I calibrated to a US quarter and when I got a TID of 387 I had to check my chart around my neck that said small yellow ring. I said to myself "yeah right" as I dug and sure enough that's what it was.

The other little piece of metal is something I have to clean. Goes to show you never know.

Warren D.

Thanks Warren.  And Congrats!

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Last night the wind started to blow as the front came through.  The surf was up a bit this morning, but not much was happening to the beaches yet.

John Brooks Beach Wednesday Morning Around 11 AM

John Brooks Beach Wednesday Morning Around 11 AM

John Brooks Beach Wednesday Morning Around 11 AM

As you can see, there was not much erosion.  In fact the cuts that were on these beaches Saturday are now gone.

There were some shells along the high tide line.

Shells at Frederick Douglass Beach.

Although I didn't see any beach improvement on South Hutchinson Island, the surf will continue to increase and there is the possibility of some improvement either here or in the Vero/Sebastian area.

Here is the surf forecast for the Fort Pierce area.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/2/19 Report - Markings on Gold Ring. Bottles and Plastic Crate Finds.

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

Date Inscribed in Recently Found Ring.

The above ring is inscribed with the date 5 - 20 - 87, presumably the wedding date.  You'll occasionally find rings that are not from the U. S. that have the day before the month and year.  For example, if you see 20 - 5 - 87, you might think something is wrong unless you realize it is probably from a country where they put the day first.  Of course if the day and month are both small numbers, such as 1 and 2, you don't know if it is January 2nd or February 1st unless you know which system is being used.

You'll also find other things that are marked different from the way we usually do it in the U. S.  This high karat ring, for example is marked 90%.

Same Ring Marked 90%

The ring acid tests to over 20k gold, and I presume the 90% is the purity, which, if true, would be about 21.6k.

Rings from some places, such as India or China, are often higher karat than we find common in the U. S.

The name inscribed in the ring is Kwong, which is a name that seems to derive from Central China, but is also common in various places in the U. S., most especially California, as well as other places, such as Korea.

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Three Found Green Bottles.

These aren't new finds.  I've posted at least one of them before.  I just like the different shapes.  I especially like the round one on the right.  The photo doesn't do it justice, but it might look good catching the light in a kitchen window.

As you know some old and rare bottles can be sold for a nice price, but these ones aren't worth much of anything.

If you collect bottles, you'll quickly discover that they take up space.  That is why I always like to find a plastic crate.  Here are a couple of the crates that I've found along with a few of the bottles.

Found Coca Cola Bottles with Found Plastic Crates.

The bottom crate contains a variety of Coca Cola bottles.  One of the nice things about the plastic crates is that you can stack them six or seven high to save space.  Another nice thing is that you can see through them, which makes it can make it easier to find what you are looking for.

Notice that the bottles are stored bottom up.  There are two reasons for that.  If your bottles are outside, you don't want water and gunk to accumulate in them, and secondly, especially with Coke bottles, the bottom provides much of the identifying information so you can quickly scan them.

I always like finding things I can use while I'm looking for coins or other metal treasures.   Here are some of the other crates and bottles I've found.

More Found Crates Containing Found Bottles.

If you buy plastic crates, you'll quickly discover that they are not cheap, so I'm always glad to find one.

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Yesterday we were supposed to have some high water.  I haven't found out what it actually did yet, but according to the predictions it looks like we'll be having a more common 3 - 5 foot surf for a few days.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

That doesn't look to exciting.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/2/2019 - New Year - New Finds. Catapult Stone. Inscribed Stone. Gold Ring with Gem Stones. Flat Surf.

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

Finds by Tony Smith with Quarter for Comparison.

The top left item appears to be a drill bit.  Two iron flakes on the right, and a shark tooth on the left.

Tony found these on a 1715 wreck beach and was asking about the item that appears to be a drill bit and the age of it.  I have no idea of the age.

Here is a closer look at the drill bit and shark tooth.

Finds by Tony S.

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I watched a new Curse TV show.  This one was Curse of Civil War Gold.  I hadn't seen it before, but don't know how long it has been out there or if it is new.

Anyhow, it is on the History channel and apparently done by the same producers.  Too bad.  It is done the same way as the other curse program -  same worn out war room discussions with lots of hyperbolic "Could it be..."  narrative.  It even sounds like the same narrator.

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Experts believe they have found a carved stone which would have been fired from a giant catapult during the pivotal siege in 1296. It led to Edward I seizing control of the medieval fortress, plundering its treasures and shipping them to London, and the castle being held under English rule for 18 years. 

Archaeologists made the discovery at the site of the proposed new Virgin Hotel, which is earmarked for a large swathe of Edinburgh’s Old Town...

Here is that link.

https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/catapult-ball-fired-at-edinburgh-castle-in-13th-century-siege-discovered-in-hotel-site-dig-1-4849752

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An ancient stone tablet bearing a historic inscription of the Resolution of Nikouria, dating back to the 3rd century BC, has resurfaced on the island of Amorgos after it had gone missing for roughly a century, Greece’s Ministry of Culture announced on Friday.

According to the ministry, the inscription was a key document about the history of the Aegean and was first discovered in 1893 in the Panagia Church on the islet of Nikouria, opposite Aigiali on Amorgos.

The priceless artifact had been temporarily transferred to a nearby stable where it remained until 1908, but then disappeared from view and its fate was entirely unknown...

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/12/30/missing-ancient-artifact-stone-of-nikouria-rediscovered-on-amorgos/

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New Year Ring Find.

New year, new finds.  This is a nice one.  14K gold, diamonds and probably garnet.

Same Ring.

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The tides are moderate and the surf will be only about a foot for a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/16/18 Report - After Florence. A Couple Finds. Muntz Metal and Copper Sheathing.

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

Gold Band Found a Couple Days Ago.

After all the weather, it looks like the things on the Treasure Coast are pretty much back to normal.  Although we got some good water, I didn't see hardly any erosion.  Still finds were made.

One gold band was found, but there were some older things found also.  Those shown below are among the oldest.

A Couple Treasure Coast Fossil Finds.

I think both of the fossils are turtle fossils.  The one on the left, I think is from the plastron - the flat part of the shell under the turtle.

I always enjoy finding interesting non-metallic items while detecting.

I haven't cleaned the encrusted objects yet.

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Yesterday or the day before I posted a picture of a fake coin and a piece of copper found by D. Renken, and then below that I posted a picture of a nice wall display made of shipwreck finds.   James F. sent me an email and pointed out that what I referred to as copper might actually be Muntz metal instead.  

Muntz metal is an alloy of copper and tin.  I think James is probably right about the large piece in the wall display that bears the marker's mark.

In my 4/16/14 post I gave a link to a page about the use of copper in maritime history that tells about G. F. Muntz patenting his new brass alloy of 60% copper and 40% tin, called Muntz metal.  That patent was registered in 1832.

Here is that link again.

https://www.copper.org/education/history/60centuries/industrial_age/copperand.html

I posted a nice find of Muntz sheathing that showed a patent mark in my 4/19/14 post.  Since Muntz metal wasn't patented until 1832, that, of course, means that if it came from a shipwreck, the shipwreck would not be no earlier than 19th century.

In the area where D. Renken found the fake coin and the item I called copper, I know there is an 1800s  era shipwreck, but there is also an early 1600s or late 1500s shipwreck almost within a stones throw from there.  And not too far in the other direction is a possible 1715 wreck in an area of an exploratory lease that was investigated in the summer of 2017.

I have personally found a lot of copper, including some fairly large pieces, in the same area where the recent finds were made by D.  Renken.

Thanks to James F. for the note about Muntz metal.

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What is the best thing you ever found?  I hear people ask that all the time.  I always have a hard time answering that question, and try to avoid it anyhow.  I think when most people ask, they are really asking what is the most valuable thing I found.  That isn't easy for me to answer either, and I'm not interested in saying anyhow.

One thing that makes answering that question more complicated, is that I don't always immediately know the value of things.  There were things that I thought weren't worth anything that I later found out were worth a lot more than I thought, and there were things I thought would be much more valuable than they actually were.  In the days before the internet it often took a lot longer to do the research or get good estimates of value.

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There is nothing left in the Atlantic that is likely to affect us much.  Joyce and Helene are no threat to North America, and Florence seems to be heading north.

There is one wave down in the Caribbean that could develop.  I'll watch that one.

Source: magicseaweed.com

As you can see the surf will be decreasing throughout next week.

I'll be happy to get some nice fall weather.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/10/18 Report - New Beach Jewelry Find. My All-Time Favorite Sea Glass Find and The Secret That Made It Really Special.

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

10K Ring Find.

Even when beach conditions are poor you can still find things that have just been lost by beach goers.  This time of year it is good and hot and people are eager to get in the water for a little fun.

This recent ring find is 10K gold.  I  don't know what the stone is yet.

I haven't done much beach detecting at all this year due to a variety of factors beyond my control, but the few times I did get to the beach,  I did ok.  The last few months I spent more time on an inland site, which took a lot of time.  I couldn't just walk out and detect that site.  I could only do it at certain times, and the site was challenging in a variety of ways.  I posted several of the coins from that site recently.

Then I got into studying coin finds.  I never guessed how involved that could get, but I found out there is a lot of study that can go into coin collecting if you get heavily into errors and varieties.  There is really a lot to learn. I looked at coins and then had to go back and look at the same coins several times as I learned more what to look for.

My curiosity and interest has always been active and far-reaching.  I can always find something interesting to study.  I'm not one to stay on a narrow path or limit myself to one subject for ever.  As a result my finds are varied.

Some people are more focused.  They want to find Spanish colonial coins, or maybe valuable modern jewelry, or maybe Civil War or Native American artifacts.  It seems that I like all of that and more, which makes it easy for me to be an opportunist.  I'll hunt what ever is available and accessible at the time.  That might include sea shells, fossils, bottles, jewelry, coins or artifacts or whatever else I might be able to find.

In each category I have my favorite finds.  Two pieces of sea glass finds stick out to me, for example.  It seems that for every category and type of find, there are a few, perhaps only one or two, that seem more interesting or that I like more than the others for some reason.  It can have to do with value, but that is not often the case with me.  It often has more to do with the story - either how or when the item was found or what I learned about the item.

One post that was read by thousands of people and is the third most read post of this blog  is about one of those favorite finds - a truly exceptional piece of sea glass.  It seems that other people liked the find as much as I did even though it was not a metal detector find.

I originally posted about that sea glass on 1/9/14.  It is a remarkable piece of sea glass - something that I didn't appreciate for quite some time because I didn't know that much about sea glass and there was something remarkable about that piece that I didn't understand for quite a while. Not only was it a good sea glass find, being a rare red color and a particularly nice size and shape - it would be very suitable for a piece of jewelry - but what I learned later really set it apart.  Not only was it an exceptional piece of sea glass but it glowed in the dark.

When you are like me, you often find things you don't know much about.  And when that happens, you might not appreciate the find until after you've held it for some time.  Then you learn more about it and learn to appreciate it more.

Well over a year after I found the item, I learned that the piece of sea glass held a secret.  Not long after I found the sea glass, I noticed that on one side under normal light, there appeared to be small yellow speckles in the depressions on one side.  I eventually found out that it was not only a nice piece of sea glass, but it was uranium glass.  It was treated to glow in the dark.  Additional research revealed that uranium glass was once used with a lantern on top of a buoy.

There are several reasons this is my favorite sea glass find.  It is attractive, well-formed and by far the most valuable piece, but there is more to it than that.  It held a secret and a story.  It is a part of history, and it took me through a journey of discovery.

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There is no tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic.

The surf is small, and we'll have some big tides today.  There will be a good low tide.  That will give you some opportunities in the wet sand and shallow water.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/18/18 Report - Tips for Estimating the Date of Jewelry. SB804 and HB631. Five Days of Detecting Back In The Day.

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

Source: MyClassicJewelry.com link below.

I often get emails asking if finds might be old, and we try to identify and date finds all the time.  When it comes to jewelry, it is very difficult to provide an age for many items.  Many jewelry designs and functional features have been used or centuries.  Nonetheless, there are some things you can look for that might help you narrow down the age of an item.

I found one very helpful web site on vintage and antique jewelry that presents some very useful information.  One illustration from that web site can be seen above.  You can see different clasp types from three different periods.

Here is the link for more of that web site.

https://www.myclassicjewelry.com/blog/vintage-jewelry-hardware/

There are other good web sites on the subject.  The following list came from a good web site on necklace clasps.

There is more on that web site.  The above is just a small sample.

Here is that link.

http://blogs.houseofgems.com/index.php/2014/10/dating-vintage-necklaces-by-their-clasps/

I"m sure you can find other good web sites that can help you date jewelry finds.

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In a previous post I referred to an article about Florida SB 804, which, according to the article, would allow beach-front property owners to restrict public access to the beach in front of their property.

See http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2018/3/11/residents_fighting_b.html.

After originally posting that article, I was told by a trusted source that the bill wouldn't do what the article claimed.  Then I received more emails about the danger of the bill.  Not wanting to become either a community organizer or legal analyst, and not being able to decisively unravel or provide a definitive conclusion to the matter, I'll provide just a few comments today and then get back to the normal business of this blog.

Among the things I was was told is that SB804 was “tabled, but that a similar bill, HB631, was on the Governor's desk.  After looking at the text of HB631, and without being able to determine the legal meaning of many of the terms for myself, here is what I decided to do.  I contacted the Florida representative for my district and sent him an email asking for clarification on HB631 and told him I was strongly opposed to any legislation that would restrict public access to the beaches.  That seems to cover it for me regardless of what SB804 or HB631 says or doesn't say.  I expect his interpretation, if received, will be skewed according to his political leaning, so that will be of limited value, but I did express my feelings.   Now it is up to you.

This post will replace any previous comments I made on the subject and will most likely be my complete and final post on the bills.

Here is a link you can use to find your Florida government representatives.

MyFloridaHouse.gov.

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I've talked about my old detecting records before.  I just noticed an interesting five day span in which I found five gold rings at four different locations.  I must have had some time off.

On 5/26/89 on Lower Matecume Key I found 14K band marked 1988.  Someone didn't have that one long.  I was using a modified Nautilus 571 at the time.  That was one of my all-time favorite detectors.

On 5/27 there was a 16 dwt 1970 U. M. class ring found at Crandon Park and a interlocking silver and gold rings.  You could usually find some gold there but it wasn't usually of high quality.

On 5/28 the find was thin gold ring with the initial J at Bill Baggs park.

On 5//29 it was a gold ring with small diamond found at Jupiter Inlet Park.

On 5/30 the find was a 1967 class ring (didn't record the school).  I find it strange that I made the hour long trip to Jupiter two days in a row.  The conditions there must have looked OK.

None of those days was big, but each one produced a little gold.  It looks like I was ranging farther than usual for some reason.  The only day of the five that I remember the finds is 5//27.  I remember exactly where those finds were made.  The life guard stopped me after less than an hour of detecting.  He said that detecting wasn't allowed in the park, so I put my detector back in the car and left.
However, the next day or so, I called the Dade County Parks Department, and they told me that they were going to lift the detecting ban at the park very shortly.  And they did. 

I also talked to them once about a beach club on Key Biscayne that was telling me I couldn't detect in front of the club.  The county told me that I had every right to use the beach back to the erosion control markers.  That sand is paid for by the tax-payers and the tax-payers should remember that.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net