Featured Coral bead bracelet with mystery marks on gold clasp

Last item for today ... probably.

The beads on this bracelet have those fine lines that I associate with coral. Not sure they're showing up in the photos though.

I liked the beads, but assumed it was costume due to the fold-over clasp. Noticed that there were marks on the clasp.

These marks are a bugger to try and get a clear photo of ... and the direction of the light changes what I see in the oval one ... a bloated insect with long bent legs ....a polar bear with a soccer ball.
The hexagonal shaped mark is even harder to make out ... I see nothing identifiable in the shapes inside of it.
Don't even know if the third small elongated indent on the side to the right of the other two marks is even a mark or just a dent.

Do these marks mean anything to anyone here?

Thanks for looking

(sorry for all the pics)


Now ... lots of pics of the marks with light at different angles

 

Oh that’s nice! Great find

 

@quirkygirl, I rotated and de-saturated one image of the marks, could that be a "B" in the corner???? ADDING the two below to see if it's any clearer.....I couldn't clear it up any more.....





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Thank you, @KSW!
Even if it were costume (I don't really think it is costume ... just that's what it was priced as at the Salvation Army), it is a nice looking piece.

 

Thank you, @Aquitaine for using your photo magic skills on my not-so-good pics (been using phone instead of actual digital camera w/ macro setting)

It took forever, but I finally spotted the "B" in the first photo you enhanced ... it was larger than what I was searching for inside the hexagon shape. Not sure what the wiggly mark to the left of the "B" would then be, though.

I think the other two photos look clearer to me. No more "B" though. Still can't make out what the marks are My eyes are fried from staring at this thing.

Thanks for your help!

 

I'm wondering if it could be from Spain? I read that Spain uses a hexagon for the assayer number and city.

 

Makes me wonder. I've never seen that clasp on a gold bracelet; they've always been brass.

 

Is there any chance it's gold? Safety chain and all? I'd test for sure.

Nice looking bracelet. You've been finding some cool things, Quirky. Was that Deco necklace also at SA?

 

You know... At a glance, I thought it might be European. Coral all the range in mid-1960s Spain.

Debora

 

Here are a couple examples from a Spanish online sales site.

Debora

 

Hm. It's not a Spanish mark I know of, but let me go fish out a bracelet from The Hoard.....

The other origins which come to mind are Sicily, Greek Islands, Corsica. And Malta. Loads of coral.

 

I had never seen one in gold either. Sterling, yes. Costume, yes. Still don't know what this one is ... but the tiny stamped marks on the clasp make me wonder, too.

 

Italy would be the most obvious source, I'd think, as major market and coral also had 1960s popularity.

Debora

 

?????? Don't know yet. Wanted to pass the marks through here for others to look at and opine on. I'm not going to file it, and if it's gold filled (with no visible wear), a scratch test won't be accurate in my opinion. Need to find an XRF tester.

Thank you! The deco era necklace was from a different thrift.

I actually goofed and mixed my little tags up. This coral bracelet was from another small thrift where all jewelry has the same (low) price. This pearl and enamel bracelet was the one from SA. Stamped 750 on both ends but should probably be tested ... and why it was in my box of mysteries.

 

I found a few more with fold-over clasps once I started searching in spanish
I think both were 18k and coral but neither site had any pics of marks.

 

They're all quite charming, aren't they?

Debora

 

yes, they sure are

So, we just have to keep this info (about fold-over clasps being used on non-costume bracelets) between us forum members. No need for the thrift stores to find out about this now is there?

 

I don't tell thrift stores anything. Not even under the threat of torture.

Debora

 

I'll cheerfully not tell them! Found a pretty set with foldovers today in fact. Unfotunately it was Sarah Coventry. (left it for the next guy)

 

ummmm, don't we have thrift store staff....as members here already????

Cat out of bag.....kinda ?