Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| John Brooks Beach Around Noon Thursday. |
I visited a few beaches yesterday. John Brooks had some cuts that I think probably were made the night before. There were more to the north that you can really see in this photo.
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| Frederick Douglass Beach Thursday. |
Frederick Douglass and the other South Hutchinson Island beaches that I looked at had no fresh cuts. There were, however, some nice flat areas near the water's edge, like at John Brooks.
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| Frederick Douglass Beach Thursday Around Noon. |
There was a lot of seaweed at Frederick Douglass and the other beaches I saw.
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| Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach. |
There was really a lot of seaweed at Fort Pierce South Jetty. It looked like it had cut a little earlier - maybe yesterday when the wind was still pretty much from the north.
Overall what I saw was not encouraging, however the flat area down by the water at low tide probably held a few targets if you wanted to put in a lot of time.
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A couple days ago I mentioned the copper bracelet found by Terry S. and asked for thoughts and opinions. I did a little research myself to see what I could find about Spanish colonial copper bracelets. I started by consulting Kathleen Deagan's book, Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 -1800, Vol. II. Deagan says, "Bracelets have been infrequently reported from Spanish Colonial sites, especially those dating to the seventeenth century or later."
Another source in Deagan's book commented on a notable lack of interest by the Spanish in bracelets from the seventeenth century until the eighteenth century when multi-strand bracelets of pearls or beads became popular.
Another source in Deagan's book commented on a notable lack of interest by the Spanish in bracelets from the seventeenth century until the eighteenth century when multi-strand bracelets of pearls or beads became popular.
It appears that glass bracelets are among the bracelets most commonly found. Glass bracelets and fragments of glass bracelets were found in archaeological contexts at both La Isabella and Puerto Real. The glass bracelets seem to be associated mostly with adolescent girls.
As for copper bracelets, the only ones mentioned by Deagan are bangle bracelets of "twisted copper wire" from sites dating from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries.
Deagan mentions the gold bracelets found on the 1715 and 1733 wrecks. It seems that gold bracelets are much more common from shipwreck sites than land sites.
A quick search of the Mel Fisher artifact database revealed NO copper jewelry finds. Almost all jewelry finds in the Fisher database are gold. There were a couple lead items listed that held emeralds.
Back in a 2016 post, I reported on a copper bracelet found by Captain Jonah and the crew of the Capitana along with other wreck artifacts. That is the only specific example of a probable Spanish Colonial copper bracelet that I can point to right now.
A search of Pre-Columbian metalworking in South Anerica revealed the following summary.
Metalwork appeared in general use around Chavin times, by 900 BCE, although the techniques known were limited to hammering, annealing, soldering and repousse working of sheet gold and silver. By Mochica times, every technique was used including casting - simple and cire perdue - alloying and gilding. By then, metal was used for utilitarian purposes in the production of weapons and agricultural tools as well as plate and jewellery. The Chimu of North Coastal Peru were especially known for a high degree of competence in metallurgy, producing quantities of gold and silver figurines, ceremonial knives, tweezers, earspools, plate, bowls and beakers, many decorated with fine repousse designs of gods, animals and mythical creatures. It was from them that the Incas and then the Spaniards acquired much of their wealth. At the Spanish Conquest (1519 CE), South and Middle America were still technically in the Bronze Age, having no knowledge of iron working. (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/pre-columbian.htm#metalwork)
We do know that copper was used in Pre-Columbian times to manufacture a variety of objects. Bells, tools and masks are just a few examples. But again, it certainly does not appear that it was used much, if at all, for jewelry.
See https://www.copper.org/education/history/60centuries/middle_ages/copperin.html.
I've found some copper bracelets on the Treasure Coast that could possibly be from a Treasure Coast wreck, but since they were beach finds and had no telling markings, I am not able to say much of anything about their source.
I have also found silver bracelets that I think are probably from a 1715 Fleet wreck, but I can't be absolutely certain about that.
Again I am reminded of the lack of silver finger rings found on 1715 Fleet wrecks. The apparent disparity between submerged wreck and land sites might seem strange, but perhaps shouldn't be if the extreme concentration of wealth on those small ships is considered. The material culture found on the treasure ships is unique in many ways. What we sometimes find on the beach is a few odd bits of that scattered accumulation.
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I didn't receive many opinions on the bracelet.
Bruce B. offered the following.
I don't know for sure, but the ring reminds me of Celtic ornamentation I have seen on bronze bracelets, though it could be Viking with perhaps the face of Odin. The shape, however, looks more Roman.
Troy T. sent this message. I read somewhere that Florida natives liked to use copper acquired from Europeans either through trade or from shipwrecks. They would re-work it into ornamentation and jewelry. I wish I had a good source to point towards but I don't remember exactly where I read it. I've made similar things before out of copper and brass wire. The markings are crudely punched and maybe also etched and could have been done with pretty simple tools so it could have easily been made by a native with stone or shell tools. Of course it just as easily could have been made by a bored sailor.
When I saw the design, the first thing I thought of was a possible African influence.
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I also enjoyed looking at many examples of Native American copper artifacts, which, by the way, also included bracelets.
https://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/anthropology/online-collections-research/old-copper-culture
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I wanted to pass along one thing SuperRick recently said in an email to me. Here it is.
I want to thank everybody that sends you information to post and my good friends that I have made friends with thanks to the treasure hunter's cookout!
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It looks like we are in for a few days of small surf.
In a month or two I might be able to present a new find of a bunch of modern gold bullion coins.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide
