Featured Strangeee French Stick Pin

Can anyone help id this? French 18k “small object” mark on the pin part. The figural head I assume is silver. However the grungiest blacked gold I’ve ever seen came out of the same collection so I guess technically it could be white gold, or even platinum. I mean I have a piece of marked 14k yellow gold that if it wasn’t marked I never would have guessed it was gold or even gold colored from this estate. Unless it’s fake, lol. Haven’t tested yet. Anyways back to this one. It seems to have had a makers mark or some other mark but it’s so worn that I can’t see anything at all. It came in a large pin collection with some quality stuff. I’m thinking this one might be something pretty good. I see a person of African descent possibly. What do YOU see!?

 

I see either an 80's style spiked hair do cool dude type. Or, a man carved into a tree, or onto a piece of drift wood. Possibly some combination of the both? A very cool piece regardless of origin!

 

The glasses are interesting ! What a cool piece.

 

The cool dude/dudette thing I saw as an option. The tree thing I hadn’t thought of but the neck/shoulder part does look branchy. Glad you dig it too!

 

Isn’t it! I saw that Cartier did some funky mixed metal stuff at some point. Saw things that seemed vaguely reminiscent in terms of being funky of theirs. I wouldn’t think enough to get too excited over but that would be really cool.

 

I bet the top is silver.Id throw a little polish on it just to see.

 

I would hesitate to polish because it may be one of those things where the darkened appearance is purposeful to the design.

 

That was my first inclination and still what I see. It’s interesting though that it isn’t marked. The French are pretty good about hallmarking everything. With the only mark on the piece being 18k it does make me wonder if it’s white gold. Either dirty or intentionally patinated. Sometimes if something is small enough you think maybe they skipped hallmarking it but the pin is much smaller than the head and they hallmarked that. Idk maybe I’ll rub one of the spike or dreads or hair things on a stone and drop some acid. I hate to do that on nice things but I can probably get away with it.

 

You may have a point there.

 

a stick pin.... shouldn't have to make you think this hard !

 

I love it, nice and quirky, and well made.
Maybe our collector of stick pins and nature's oddities @kyratango can tell us more.

Ditto.

 

Quirky and nice!
I see a monkey wearing glasses with a bad hair day
I really think the head is silver, it will benefit from a sunshine cloth rub! Please, no acid ON it...
Touch stone and 18k acid on the trace, will show a light blue flaking, saying silver.
Not all little silver parts were hallmarked on stickpins. But you may see something once cleaned.

 

I m in with Kyra: I see the monkey head with gold glasses
Cannot be unsees now...