Photo of Gorget? Found by Metal Detector.Yesterday I mentioned a metal Seminole Indian find. Here is what might be a gorget. I don't know for sure what it is, but in my opinion that is one of the best suggestions that I've heard so far.
It is about three inches across, from point to point, and was found in an area that would have been long inhabited and where battles took place up into the early 1800s.
If you have any ideas on the item's identity, I would be glad to hear from you.
There are some smaller ones too - basically the same shape but more deep than wide - closer to the shape of a half circle.
Looks like different phases of the moon. But I think that is coincidental.
Back to the find that I mentioned yesterday. Although the Seminoles sometimes wore silver bands around a turban as described in the article found through the link below, the item I was talking about yesterday was not the band, but rather a plume holder for feathers worn with a headdress. I don't know if I used the right words to describe the object, but those are the words that came to me. It looked like it would hold three large feathers.
On a side note, the plume holder, or whatever it should be called, had a hole in the middle of it made by the detectorist during recovery. Be careful when you dig up items. You can't be too careful. Almost anything can be damaged. Nice coins can be easily scratched by a scoop.
The web site says that the preferred metal of the Seminoles was silver, and they sometimes worked silver coins to create other items. They sometimes also used German silver and other metals for the same purposes.
Here is a link to a web site on Seminole Indian dress. It will take you directly to a section discussing their silver work.
http://www.nativetech.org/seminole/silverwork/index.php
You might want to look at some of the other topics on that web site.
Notice the gorgets described in the article.
David J. submitted the following link to a digital book, The Seminoles of Florida, by Minnie-Moore Willson (1910 edition). David's submission provided a lead that helped me find the above link.
http://books.google.com/books?id=dJILAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=seminole+head+dresses&source=bl&ots=SuvcIvfPp0&sig=qVMig9uL1IeTRK-KAvQxR0Z6gJk&hl=en&ei=4ugOTbTjHZP-nAfPmNjnDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
You might find it interesting. There are a lot of things that can be found on the Treasure Coast.
Here is article on big time international looting. Not only are the looters looting, but it seems they are also producing forgeries that are being sold on auction sites.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/looting-matters-looting-in-spain-112077849.html
You really have to be cautious if you buy antiques these days.
Forecast and Conditions.
The wind is out of the west now and the seas are building to about 5.5 feet later today (Monday). I'll try to get out sometime soon to see what is happening. My guess is not much.
The seas will be tapering off the next two days.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
