Featured Help me to learn on napkin ring.

I think I read once where some families had personalized napkin rings for every adult member of the family. Usually, that's just a first name, but perhaps this family had more than one Harlan and they had to engrave the last name. My family has waaayyy too many Bills so we have to use last names when addressing them. And then my SIL named both of her boys after two of her brothers. Whew!! No napkin rings for us.

 

In our family it was Pats. I had a sister named Pat. My brother Jack named his youngest daughter Pat. My brother Tom married a woman named Pat. Then Jack got remarried & her name was Pat. They became "our Pat", "little Pat", "Tom's Pat" & "Jack's Pat".

There could have been 5 because my brother Denny married a girl named Pat but they were very young when they got married & divorced a couple of years after they were married.

 

BTW @Happy! - I did a quick Google search of "Greene Harlan restaurant" & was surprised to see that there was actually a few restaurants named Harlan. I do not think this ring was associated with any of them but if you did decide to sell it I suggest you put the names in the title.

 

can one put silver plating on an engine turned metal...?

 

Thank you everyone. SO helpful, I am learning so much.

The napkin ring has no plate loss--no peeling or indication of plate. Looked at it, vs. my pics and those are shadows. It weighs 28g. It really intrigued me, and I dared not say, but I hoped it might be coin silver.

With your info, I am pretty certain it is coin silver now and early. So neat to have something that old (for awhile, anyway). I guess it could have up to 90% silver, if I am reading correctly.

 

Thanks for the thought, this one says "Green", with no "e", unfortunately. But will include that in the title when listing.

I read this is considered "Machined", what type of machine would do this work in the 1800s without electricity?

 

I actually did search Green Harlan. I didn't mean to add an e to the end.

 

@Happy! - I found this photo & description of engine turning online with a photo of the machine that would accomplish it.

http://www.antiquebox.org/engine-turning/

 

It was probably made on a rolling machine.

 

@Hollyblue - Is the machine shown in the photo in the above link I posted the same thing the guy in the YouTube video was using?

 

Engine turning machine cuts/removes the metal like a lathe,the machine video I posted imprints/embosses the patterns onto the metal.

 

Silver plating is very thin and would not be noticeable on the turned metal. Plating thickness.... 0.0005 inch (0.013mm)

 

Yes, that one made be wonder if they turned that wheel by hand to operate it. I guess they did.

 

That was so cool to see, such a quick way to make a bracelet.

 

Really learned so much here, thank you everyone. Neat to have something that old and nicely made.