Featured Gold nugget stickpin!

At the flea market today and found this for five bucks. Very cool piece! I know it's hard to date something like this but I'd bet it pretty old. Any thoughts? Early 1900s? Gold rush era maybe? I myself love stickpins but don't get to wear them often, so I was thinking about maybe converting the nugget into a ring setting but decided against pulling it apart and appreciating it as it was made to be!

 

I know the stick is not gold.

 

If it is gold it is a good buy.
The jewellery trade make gold 'nuggets' by pouring molten gold into sand, so not all gold nuggets are gold nuggets.

If tested with an XRF scanner, any reading where the gold content is some exact carat value would be suspect, as would a low carat reading. Genuine gold nuggests will be liable to contain traces of metals never normally found in refined gold alloys.

 

Nice talking piece, spart.
Gold nugget jewellery is still made, often using the method af described.
Most of these gold nugget stick pins seem to date from the Victorian Era, which is not very precise. Since there is no specific style, it is impossible to be more precise.
I would keep it as it is, and maybe buy a nugget ring to go with it. And find a way of wearing the stickpins you have, it is a pity not to show them.

 

To take this off track a bit, I would love to find a useful way to wear the stickpins that I own. They don't "go" with most of the clothing I wear to work these days.

 

Hi Fig,
I had a nurse friend that used to wear a "patch of what Holiday was coming up and put a few stickpins on the color patch and wear with her uniform. I.E. A heart shape for Valentines Day, a shamrock for St Pats, a blue striped one for United Nations Day etc. It was always a nice look.
greg

 

At one time, ladies made basket pins using stickpins as the flowers.

 

Have a look at these
https://www.google.com/search?q=Sti...iavZAhUn8IMKHWpzBRgQ_AUICygC&biw=1351&bih=868

Here's another using thimbles as the basket
https://www.google.com/search?clien......0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.IY1vRhFBdaU

 

Thank you, @gregsglass and @clutteredcloset49 -- For some reason I didn't get the little red notification on your replies!

 

I like those!