Is This Paper Mache? Locket

Hi,
I'm wondering if this is paper mache - reminds me of a snuff box I had a while ago. Two little screws hold the cross in place.
Any information appreciated.
Thanks for looking.

 

Probably gutta percha.

 

Thanks anund, I'll check that out!

 

That's what I was thinking but I don't have enough experience with it to be sure. I have a couple of rosaries with beads that I think are gutta percha.

 

You are right on anund, thanks again

 

I think this may be a mourning locket..it is very nice! Do a search on 'antique mourning locket gutta percha'. Lots of hits to compare it with!

 

Yes, gutta percha...same thing they made teddy bears' noses out of back in the day!

 

Thanks wenna, it is a mourning locket!

 

And snuff boxes.

 

"Sniped"!!!!!!! by the best!!!!

 

The alternative is vulcanite, i.e. hard rubber. If it has a brownish tinge to it, suspect vulcanite. This site always has killer images of the older stuff: https://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/victorian-vulcanite-necklaces-aid-69.html

 

Looks like you're going to have to taste it.

"You can tell the difference between vulcanite and gutta percha by choosing to taste it. If it’s salty, it’s gutta percha. If it’s not, it’s vulcanite. More often than not, it will be vulcanite. Most of what you will see as gutta percha will actually turn out to be vulcanite, so if you skip the taste test and call it vulcanite, you will probably be correct."

http://jewelrynerd.org/blog/what-ar...-vulcanite-jewelry-and-how-do-i-identify-them

 

great.....once again we're licking things we can't eat !!!

 

Just a little (perhaps interesting-to-some) fact: gutta percha has been used for at least a century (and probably longer) in dentistry, especially for filling a tooth after a root canal (except in people who are "sensitive" to gutta percha or "latex sensitive").

 

The things I learn here...

 

Thanks for the info and link evelyb30, I'll check it out!

lol, not me but I should be able to find someone that will.

 

It's real mourning jewelry too, not the fashion stuff they made later. Are the beads glass?

 

Two folks tasted this and said salty, so Gutta Percha it is. Interesting to learn about Vulcanite
evelyb30 the beads are glass.