Neck of Tinajas Jar Recently Found on the Site of the Santa Margarita.
Besides the Atocha and the Santa Margarita, Mel Fisher Expeditions is now also working the site of the shipwreck code named the Lost Merchant.
Recent finds on the site of the Santa Margarita include a pewter plate, lead sheathing, and a number of iron encrusted objects.
The most important find from the Margarita this week is the item shown in the photo above. It is the neck of a Tinajas jar. Tinajas jars were used to store water.
Someone sent me an email asking about my detecting club. I assume they were talking about the newly formed St. Luce metal detecting club. Bernie C. has taken the lead in starting that club, so anyone who wants additional information about that club should contact Bernie C. at the following email address. twiprod001@att.net
Someone else sent me photos of a ring that they found and was wondering about its age and identity. The ring was silver and gold. I've found rings that are both silver and gold that seemed to come from the mid-1900s. I don't know why they combined the metals. I suppose it has some significance, but I don't know what it might be.
It is really hard to tell how old some rings are. Some designs have been used for centuries such as the Claddagh ring, which was first produced in the 17th Century in the Irish village of Claddagh.
Typical Claddagh Ring.
Anyone who has found a lot of rings has probably found a Claddagh ring or two. A Claddagh ring has two hands holding a heart, and there is a crown on top of the heart.
Claddah rings were often used at weddings. The heart represents love, the hands represent friendship, and the crown, loyalty. It can be difficult to distinguish a 17th century example from a 21st century example. I've found Claddagh rings in silver and gold. I think I might have posted photos of one or two in this blog before.
Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.
As you can see tropical Storm Irene seems to be headed this way and could reach South Florida as a hurricane by Friday.
The predicted path takes Irene over Hispaniola and Cuba. That could cause the storm to fall apart or change direction.
Tropical Storm Irene.
The surf web sites are predicting up to 13 foot seas on Thursday. We haven't seen anything like that for a couple of years if my memory serves me correctly. That could change detecting conditions dramatically. It might even hit the back dunes.
As you might know, it is not unusual for the surf web sites to change their predictions significantly though. We'll have to wait until a little later in the week to see if those predictions hold up.
Get ready and keep an eye on Irene.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
