Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Source: See link below. |
There is a very good web site about the El Nuevo Constante, which wrecked in Sept. of 1766. The web site provides a concise history of the Nuevo, its discovery and salvage. There are many useful illustrations.
You will find a copy of the ship's manifest, the structure of its hull, and pictures of many recovered items.
The article also tells of the ship's trip to the New World, saying Nine days earlier stevedores had completed loading the main cargo: 1,334 boxes of mercury, each of which weighed 150 pounds. Mercury was vital to Spain because it was critical in the extraction of silver from ores. Other cargo on board was wine, liquor, iron, nails, plow points, vinegar, and a "box of relics from the holy places in Jerusalem," all bound for Mexico.
Besides precious metals many other items were salvaged. Many were well preserved because of a thick layer of mud.
Fire bricks, coal, lead patches and many other types of items are illustrated in the article.
I think you'll find it interesting.
Here is the link.
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It seems that I talk a lot about identifying old artifacts, especially shipwreck artifacts. It might not seem like it, but it is just as important to be able to correctly identify modern jewelry. It is easy to make a BIG mistake.
Years ago when I found a gold ring marked KP, I thought it was gold plated. I threw it in my goodie bag and didn't think much of it. But KP does not indicate a plated item. KP actually stands for karat plumb.
Plumb means “TRUE”.
It comes from the French Word “Plum” or “Plombe“, and can also mean “Completely“, “Weight“, or even “Exact“.
So now the Real Meaning of Plumb becomes clear…
It means that the Gold Stated is Correct. It’s at least the amount Stamped on the Item, or Greater (Never Less). (Source: http://www.jewelry-secrets.com/Blog/whats-karat-plumb/)
So KP isn't a bad thing, as I once thought, but a good thing.
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Some jewelry can sell for multiple millions. You certainly don't want to make a mistake on something like that. Here is a ring that Sotheby's sold for 32 million dollars.
I also used to think that diamonds were clear, not colored. Wrong again! This blue diamond is very valuable. There are also diamonds of other colors, such as yellow and pink.
Here is link to a slideshow of Sotheby's 20 best selling gems of 2016. They start at about 3 million and go up to the 32 million dollar ring shown above.
http://www.sothebys.com/content/sothebys/en/news-video/slideshows/2016/the-best-selling-jewels-sold-this-year.html#slideshow/2016.the-best-selling-jewels-sold-this-year
One thing you might notice from looking through the slideshow is that very often fine gems are on a small ring and setting. You don't want to be missing the smaller rings. They often have the best gem stones.
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The most popular blog post of December was the 12/3/16 post Historic Florida Shipwreck Claimed by France: Your Attention and Action Needed. Antique Bottle Find.
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It rained all last night. It is cold and a little chilly today. The surf is going to be smooth for a couple of days. Might be a good time for wading. Also we still will get a little negative tide.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
