Show Us Your Pearls In Action!!!

[battah]

That's going to be a fab necklace, hanadama!

Pearls and pinchbeck today.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Love the layers battah!

 

[Pareltje]

Elegant, Battah!

 

[BWeaves]

I love the layers, Battah. Can you give us a closeup of the pinchbeck necklace, please?

I have a couple English cameo brooches set in pinchbeck. Very few people know what it is.

From Wikipedia:

Pinchbeck is a form of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, mixed in proportions so that it closely resembles gold in appearance. It was invented in the 18th century by Christopher Pinchbeck, a London clockmaker. Since gold was only sold in 18-carat quality at that time, the development of pinchbeck allowed ordinary people to buy gold 'effect' jewellery on a budget. The inventor allegedly made pinchbeck jewellery clearly labelled as such. Pinchbeck jewellery was used in places like stagecoaches where there was a risk of theft. Later dishonest jewellers passed pinchbeck off as gold; over the years it came to mean a cheap and tawdry imitation of gold.

Pinchbeck typically comprises copper and zinc in ratios between 89% Cu, 11% Zn; and 93% Cu, 7% Zn

 

[battah]

Here ya go! Pictured next to a 14k yellow gold band for color comparison. I really like pinchbeck. I tend to be sensitive to non-precious metals - my skin turns green or they make me itch, or I can smell them - but pinch doesn't bother me. It's a nice alternative to gold for heavier pieces that would be really pricey otherwise, I think.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I had not heard of pinchbeck-- so interesting.
Does it tarnish?

 

[battah]

I had not heard of pinchbeck-- so interesting.
Does it tarnish?

It's not supposed to. Mine is an antique piece and I don't do anything special with it, and it looks pretty good. It has that darkened look that older gold can get, but it doesn't look oxidized anywhere.

 

[BWeaves]

Thanks for the closeups, Battah. Cool chain. From a distance, it looked a bit like one of the chains from the Cheapside Hoard.

The Cheapside Hoard is a hoard of jewellery from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, discovered in 1912 by workmen using a pickaxe to excavate in a cellar at 30-32 Cheapside in London, on the corner with Friday Street. It was jewelry that was buried in the jewelry district as the fire of London was sweeping through.

Pinchbeck does not tarnish, however, it's also not as bright as real gold. Pinchbeck's regular look is of gold that is just a little dark and not as shiny, but it never actually tarnishes. I also do not have any problems with pinchbeck next to my skin. It's a good alloy. Battah's photo is very representative of what pinchbeck looks like.

 

[Purranha]

Work has been busy and feel like I haven't posted in a while.
Taking Victoria Grayson out for a spin today - lighting has been crappy, but I am still enjoying wearing her!
Oh yah and curled my hair today!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Purranha]

UGH! WHY DO YOU FLIP!!! Try again.

 

[battah]

Purr you look purrrrty Love Victoria Grayson! Remind me, is she a long strand doubled? Or are you wearing her with another Tahitian strand?

BWeaves, thanks for that info! Looking forward to googling the Cheapside Hoard, that sounds interesting. I got this chain from an Etsy vintage shop located in the UK but I have no idea of its history.

 

[Purranha]

Thank you Battah!!! Love your combo, too!
VG is a 54" rope I got from the Tahitian sale last year - Chenai blended 3 multi-color strands for me.
I do however sometimes wear it with yet another 18" Tahitian strand.

 

[BWeaves]

Purranha, I love that look. Very elegant.

Pinchbeck was invented 100 years after the Cheapside Hoard, but it's the overall look of a long chain with stations that made me think that.

Here's some of the chains from the Cheapside Hoard. (Cheapside in London was anything but cheap.)

http://blog.mrsjonesandco.com/wp-content/uploads/mrs_jones/Cheapside-Hoard-Chains.jpg

 

[Sanippy]

Thankyou Luvglitz, BWeaves, MSC, Pareltje, Jersey Pearl and Battah!

Battah - I love your ropes of creamy pearls together with the gold pinchbeck chain. So romantic!

Purr - your rope is TDF! It looks great on you.

 

[Katbran]

Looking good Battah !

Lovely pearls Hanadama ! Excellent idea to make a bracelet so you can enjoy them while you collect more !

 

[MSC]

Lovely layers, battah and Purr! I especially love that pinchbeck chain, so fancy!

 

[JerseyPearl]

Lovely...Victoria looks absolutely regal.

 

[newberry]

It was a tin cup Monday

And Tuesday

Changing a little for Wednesday

Thursday just a pendent

 

[CathyKeshi]

Beautiful, Newberry! The Tahitian is my favorite ... except for the big drops with the fireball ... except for the little H pendant ... LOL, never mind ... all lovely