Featured My 1st Jewelry Post ! Help on Gold Seal Watch Fob w/ Pearls & Chain-Help

Hello All-I've been reading the Jewelry Forum for a few months and the level of expertise here is mind-blowing,had to jump in !
Here's a few pieces we picked up yrs ago.I think the Dolphin/Fish Fob is GF,Rolled Gold (?), or if the tiny stones in the eyes are rubies or something else.The Fob is 1 3/8" total length (incl suspension ring), stamped 'E'(then either a shield/rectangle of some kind) followed by an 'R' (see pic). It's attached to a strand of pearls (gritty to the teeth),the strand clasp is marked '14/20-followed by a 'Z' ,or perhaps '7'. The other chain (Last Pic) is stamped 14k on the bar,the rings and hooks (I think the Fob was originally attached to this Chain) 19 Grams weight.Hope my Pics are OK,Jewelry's hard to shoot ! (I try not to sharpen/contrast my photos too much,but still think i push it too much).
Thanks for the help.

 

Perhaps the pendant with dragons is a seal????
Chain for pocket watch.

 

You nailed it Azna ! Third Pic down is the Seal-'GMP'. Thanks very much for Your welcome feedback and for the gratefully accepted 'likes'.

 

I would call that a monogram rather than a seal. If it was a seal the letters would have been engraved in reverse so they would show properly when used as a seal.

 

The fob seal is probably brass & the red eyes likely to be glass. A UV light could tell you if they are actually ruby. Bakers is correct that it has not been engraved for use as a seal, but the object was made to be one. I would just say it is initials; to my mind it is a monogram when the initials are laid atop one another to form a single character. Surprised anyone would string it directly onto pearls, as it is bound to scratch them by sliding around. May have been the fob for a ladies pocket watch. I have the watch & fob that belonged to my grandmother. The fob is brass, with a single initial. My mother wore it on a chain sometimes.

The mark 14/20 indicates it is not solid gold.

 

That would make it gold filled. Anytime you see a slash, as in 14/20, that is gold filled.

 

Thanks so much to all-agree to the pearl necklace being a weird combo on this,looks better on the chain-I should take it off the pearls..Also you couldn't make much of a wax seal w/ that seal/intaglio engraving.Do you think those are actual pearls ? Thanks again.

 

Yes those are pearls.

 

Rubies with a relatively high iron oxide content don't fluoresce. The iron oxide counteracts the fluorescence of the chromium dioxide.
But as you said, they are likely to be glass.

With those slightly irregular shapes and colours they look like pearls, cultured but real.
You can test them by rubbing them against your front teeth. If they feel gritty, they are real. (Doesn't work with dentures.)

 

Thanks all-grateful to still have some real teeth in my head.happy the pearls are real.I have to get a triplet jewelers loupe-any opinions on best affordable loupe ? also UV light,prob hold off on the nitric acid kit.

 

I believe that originally these watch fobs were made as seals. I have a couple where the printing is in reverse. Over time, the engraving was made to read directly. For some time now watch chains and the fobs have been repurposed. I have seen many fobs attached to necklaces and bracelets. Likewise, many watch chains have been repurposed. I believe that in many cases "re-purposing" is acceptable but where family heirlooms are concerned it's not.

 

Gus-There's some very beautiful ones on Ebay & Etsy,quite amazing small works of art.

 

I know but I don't search them out because they are too much of a temptation. I do know one collector and he wears them occasionally. A big plus is that a collection doesn't take up much room and is easily stored. A big minus is that if the collection is stolen, it can be easily broken up and sold piecemeal. But then the same can be said about most jewelry.....

 

Plus the real 14-18K ones not cheap.

 

The subject of this whole thread - Eyes Have It: Are These Intaglios the Same? - is the intaglio set in a gold fob seal that was sold as 15K. (Haven't confirmed.) Probably never actually used as a fob, judging by lack of wear. Looks like handle could be a replacement.



It's possible the glass intaglio is Roman. Maybe an owner thought this would be a better way to enjoy it than risking having it in a ring, as a Roman & many a Georgian collector would have worn it.

There are lots of fob seals kicking around that were never engraved, & you see bracelets that use them, kind of like a charm bracelet with really big charms.