Intricate Silver Bracelet Found.Yesterday morning I was working the front beach where some new material had washed up over the past couple of days. I found some old almost completely dissolved spikes, crunched up copper sheeting and stuff and this silver bracelet.
I haven't found any markings on it at all, but maybe I'll be able to see some markings if it is cleaned. I don't know if I want to do that.
Viewed with a high powered loop, the sand encrustation really sparkles. It is unusual. I've seen a lot of black encrusted silver, but this really different under the loop.
I like all kinds of patinas and crusts. Sometimes I hate to remove them - and don't.
A patina can tell you a lot. Different patinas come from different environments.
When an item is under the sand or in the ocean, what it is next too can determine how it corrodes or what happens to it.
Bill P. reminded me yesterday that even gold can take on some coloration if it lays next to or on a cannon or anchor or something like that.
I've told before how even gold items can corrode. It isn't really the gold, but the alloys in the gold that corrode. You will often see green around where a gold ring has been soldered for example.
Much of the gold found by the Spaniards in South America was mined with some copper content. Copper gives color to gold and if there is a good bit, can make the gold more rigid.
Tumbaga refers to a copper, gold, and silver alloy that was often used by the South American groups to make religious items.
You might want to read more about that here.
http://www.answers.com/topic/tumbaga-1
The Mel Fisher organization says that the Dare is now on the Lost Merchant site and are checking out some hits.
You can still register to bid in the current Sedwick Online auction by using the following link.
http://www.sedwickcoins.com/internetonlyauction1/catalog.htm
This is the final week of the auction.
It might be a good time to check your scoop. Take a good look at the front edge. Any bends can make digging much more difficult. If you can't hammer the edge back into shape, you might consider getting a new scoop. Check to see how much the damaged edge affects digging.
If you dig in loose sand, you probably won't damage your scoop, but if you are digging in packed shells, rocks, or hard clay or anything like that, a bent scoop will cause a lot of additional effort.
I added an additional web site to my Tide and Surf Projections section. It gives access to the live web cams for Florida, including quite a number on the Treasure Coast.
Treasure Coast Beach forecast and Conditions.
As Bret and Cindy mover further away from us, a new tropical wave has formed about 500 miles east of the Windward Islands. This wave has about a 20% chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.
The wind is from the south again and the seas very calm. You can expect 1.5 foot seas for the next week or so with little exception. That, of course, means very little change in conditions.
Maybe that low pressure area will develop and send us some waves before long.
Happy hunting,
TreaureGuide@comcast.net
