8/16/16 Report - Thumb Rings and Gimmel Rings. Cobs From Past Storms. Colonial Period Dress. Evolving As A Detectorist.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Finds by Bob M. After 2003 Storms
Submitted by Darrel Strickland

Here is what Darrel said to go along with this photo. 

Bob M. used to work for Kelloggs and always had some poptarts or snacks for us. We always thought he was trying to find the good spots. It turned out he already knew!

I have not seen or heard from him in a long time. I know when he sent me his photos I had permission to use them. I should mention the book never got published, a copy of it is with the St. Augustine Historical Society. 

Bon Steel isn't known for large denomination cobs like this.  It is better known for the smaller cobs like those at the top right of the picture near his finger tips.

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As a detectorist, you might discover that you evolve over the years.  You might notice that "finding" becomes a smaller part of it.

At first every detectorist wants to find things.  They want to see what they can find and how much they can find.  It can be a little bit like a race or test.  At some point it is likely to turn into a competition as you test yourself against others.  Who can find more and better stuff.  Some never get out of that phase.  They tend to be the loudest.

If you do get out of that phase, you will likely discover that detecting is as much about understanding as it is about finding.  I'm not talking about understanding detectors or detecting. You'll come to understand broader things such as artifacts, history, people, place and time.

It can end up being as much about sharing and giving as it is about getting.  Ultimately, it is about being and who you are.

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Not long ago I showed some 1715 Fleet rings and talked about them little.  Later I mentioned that some rings that are unusually large were meant to be worn over a glove.  Other large rings might be thumb rings.

I found a helpful book.  It is An Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Costume, From the First Century B C. to C. 1760 by James Robinson Planche.  You'll find a free preview online.  See the link below.

On page 419 you'll this information on thumb rings.

Along with that you'll find the following information on "clasping hands" rings, which I recently discussed in another post.  Clasped hands rings can be hinged so that the hands can be clasped or unclasped.  In a previous post I showed a "clasped hands" ring that was found just a few weeks ago by the crew of the Capitana on a 1715 Fleet wreck.  It was not hinged.

Those rings can also be called gimmel rings.  Here an excerpt talking about that.

Click here to go to that preview.

Below is a link to a detailed article on dress in the 1700s.  Here is one paragraph from that article mentioning thumb rings.

Comparatively little jewellery was worn. A few men had gold or silver sleeve-buttons; a few women had bracelets or lockets; nearly all of any social standing had rings, which were chiefly mourning-rings. As these gloomy ornaments were given to all the chief mourners at funerals, it can be seen that a man of large family connections, or of prominent social standing, might acquire a great many of them. The minister and doctor usually had a ring at every funeral they attended. It is told of an old Salem doctor, who died in 1758, that he had a tankard full of mourning-rings which he had secured at funerals. Men sometimes wore thumb-rings, which seems no queerer than the fact that they carried muffs. Old Dr. Prince of Boston carried an enormous bearskin muff.

Here is the link.

http://www.history1700s.com/index.php/articles/156-home-life-in-colonial-days/816-dress-of-the-colonists.html

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There is a storm developing but it is still far away - closer to Africa than the West Indies.  It will be a while before we know how strong it gets and where it is going to go.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/7/16 Report - Initials On 1715 Fleet Gold Ring? Vintage Sells. Golden Age Hollywood Jewelry. Two Weather Systems To Watch.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Letters on Clasped Hand Ring Ponted Out By Dan B.

Here is one of the gold rings found by the Capitana guys not long ago.  I posted a picture of the same ring not before.  Dan discovered that the ring has two sets of letters on it, one set below each hand. The red arrow in the picture points to the initials on the left hand.  You can see where those letters are if you look closely.

On the one hand is "ai" and on the other is "ie."  They could be initials.  One set could be for the owner and one set for a close friend.  Let me know what you think.

Dan also sent the following additional view of the two recently found rings and said that the "life ring" appears to have a volcano on it.

Two Rings Recently Found by The Capitana Guys
Photo submitted by Dan B.

Additional 1715 Fleet items are being found daily.

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Sometimes things are worth more than you might think.   You might remember the copper thunderbird pendant that I showed not long ago (6/26/16).  I found it up at the old Chuck's Steakhouse when it was still standing.  I didn't pay any attention to the find at the time.  It wasn't the kind of thing that I was looking for and it didn't impress me at all.

Although I don't sell much of anything, somebody wanted it, and it sold for a nice price.

A lot of the items I found years ago are now vintage. Some of those had some age on them when they were found.

There are collectors for all kinds of things out there, if you can find them.  The items don't have to be silver or gold.  It is largely a matter of connecting items with the people that will most appreciate them.

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Sometimes it isn't the precious metals or gems, or even the fine craftsmanship that makes something valuable.  Sometimes it is the story.

Collectors Weekly had an article about Golden Age Hollywood jewelry made by Eugene Joseff. Joseff made many of the most iconic movie pieces.  You've undoubtedly seen some of them.

Here is one paragraph from that article.

“This is where we keep the most famous pieces,” says Michele, pointing to a circular glass display case in the corner. There’s Elizabeth Taylor’s serpent belt from “Cleopatra,” Marilyn Monroe’s pearl earrings from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Scarlet O’Hara’s necklace, and Rhett Butler’s cigar case. Not to mention Jean Harlow’s glamorous “Libeled Lady” brooch, Judy Garland’s “Ziegfeld Follies” lariat necklace, and the exotic bird bracelets from “Desert Hawk.”

Here is the link to read more about that.

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/lost-hollywood-jewelry-trove-uncovered/

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Here are some valuable skills for any detectorist or treasure hunter.  They come from Martin Cohen's book, Critical Thinking Skills for Dummies Cheat Sheet.

Tolerance: Critical Thinkers delight in hearing divergent views and enjoy a real debate.

Analytical skills: Critical Thinkers don’t accept just any kind of talking. They want properly constructed arguments that present reasons and draw sound conclusions.

Confidence: Critical Thinkers have to be a little bit confident to be able to examine views that others present — often people in authority.

Curiosity: Critical Thinkers need curiosity. It may have killed the cat, but curiosity is the essential ingredient for ideas and insights.

Truth-seeking: Critical Thinkers are on mission 'objective truth' — even if it turns out to undermine their own previously held convictions and long-cherished beliefs and is flat against their self-interest.

Here is the link if you want to read more about that.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/critical-thinking-skills-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

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Two Tropical Disturbances Now.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical Storm Earl has disappeared, but a second disturbance is now working its way northwest near the Bahamas.

Both disturbances have only a small chance of becoming a cyclone in the next few days.

Nothing but a one or two foot surf is projected for the Treasure Coast for a week or two.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net