Featured Very Old looking Watch Fob

Saw this recently, it doesn't look as shiny as most fobs you see. It looks rather rough really.

How old do watch fobs get and is this an early one? Or just a shoddy one?

 

Looks early 1oth century in style and now I'm thinking it just has absolutely all of its gilding worn off, maybe it was a dog find or someting

 

1oth century??

 

Yes, that is 1 o!

Nathan, the first watch fobs date from the late 18th century. I take it you mean early 19th century, which could be true.
Designs with a lot of small flowers are also seen on ladies' jewellery of the late 18th century, so maybe it is slightly older.
And yes, probably gold or silver plated at one time.

 

Sundial Fob...couldn't resist.

 

You mean from before the invention of wrist sundials?
(Couldn't resist either, sorry Nathan)

 

This is spectacularly weird. Is it the shape of the stone that is irregular or the way it is positioned in the mount that causes it to line up unevenly around the edge? Is the stone opaque or does some light come through? Although it's shaped like a seal, it obviously could not function very well for that purpose. Looks like an auction lot tag on it. What info was given about it? It's as though someone tried to make a modern object look medieval.

 

There could have been something underneath to raise the stone (glass?) in the mount, some of which wore away over time, causing the stone to become loose in the setting. Sometimes you get some dust or grit falling out when you shake a piece like that.

 

The way the metal edge is beat, I wonder if the original seal has been (poorly) replaced with this glass(?) bit?

 

To my inexpert eye, it appears to be a surprising number of separate pieces soldered together. I was questioning whether stone that is there now is original to it & wonder if it is possible it is a less-than-gem-grade ruby?



Corundum would be one explanation for why the faceting isn't any sharper.

 

The setting and the facets on the OP's piece have been beat to death.Facets on corundum can be as sharp as facets on other types of stones.

 

I was toying with the idea that the stone was, or is meant to look as though it was, worked at a time & place without the use of diamond dust.

Loop at top looks out of keeping with the rest.

My cogitations on the matter are influenced by the way I have seen older elements brought forward in time, combined with newer materials & workmanship. E.g., I have a fob-sized miniature desk seal that appears to be a Roman glass intaglio held by a Georgian era mount with what I suspect is a Victorian replacement handle. (Have had an expert opinion that the intaglio is Roman.) This could be such a chimaera.

 

Diamond dust has been used to cut and polish diamonds and corundum in India since the 17th century.