Featured Strange Rotating Pendant

One side is bloodstone I think(thanks @Hollyblue for identification of another piece earlier). The other side looks like agate or maybe something synthetic, although it “seems” hard like stone. It makes me wonder if it was intended to be carved but I’m thinking one would want to carve a stone before setting it? I concocted a crazy theory of betrayal, wrong doing and excommunication leading to someone’s cameo getting hastily removed. Not sure there(haha) but it sure got worn for a long time judging from the wear.

 

Love your imagination. Full disclosure, I'm not a jewelry guy, but my guess would be the lady would simply flip it 180 depending on her mood and/or to have some contrast between the stone and the outfit she was wearing.

I'm sure the jewelry folks will be around shortly and set us both straight.

 

Looks like a fob seal that was never engraved. Bloodstone (heliotrope) & carnelian.

 

Does appear to be a watch fob. Here's another made of carnelian and bloodstone.

https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/nec...loodstone-rose-gold-circa-1910s/id-j_5137371/

Debora

 

So maybe something like this then?

 

Yes.

 

Great! Thank You so much.
I found the watch and chain together. I suppose it’s a possibility the fob went with since they were in the same house....either way, I think I’ll keep em together from now on.

 

@Shwikman
I'm sorry, I've been a little off today.

Where you have the fob hanging is where the watch should hang.
That chain isn't set up for the fob.

This is the proper way to hang a fob and watch.

 

There may have been another small chain here if there was ever a fob on this chain.

 

Makes perfect sense.

 

It's absolutely typical of a 19th C double sided watch fob.

 

I agree. The owner just hadn't had it engraved yet. The reason is another one for your imagination, Shwikman.

 

Because seals fall into my area of interest, I see a lot of them & would guess about half of those floating around on the market were never engraved. (Also guessing ones that were are a little more likely to stay in private hands as family heirlooms.) My imagination has people giving them when they didn't know what else to give a man & on into a time when men were still wearing pocket watches with chains but sealing wax had fallen into disuse.

 

Recent find, bloodstone itaglio watch fob that was converted into a womans' pendant.

 

That seems so likely! I could see wax seals falling obsolete fairly immediately but no way were stubborn men going to toss out or hang-up their pocket watches without so easily.

 

Men's fashion seems to march steadily away from jewellery. Cravat pins, watch fobs, cufflinks, signet rings... With ties being required in the work place less & less, the opportunities to dude up are really disappearing.

I have a massive ring that was made over from a desk seal with a French bloodstone intaglio that must have belonged to someone in sympathy with the Abolitionist movement:

 

That is absolutely stunning...and unbelievably important! I appreciate you sharing it!

 

It's an interesting piece. When I got it I showed it to a French friend who said he was surprised because the French had not been particularly concerned with the issue. I don't know if someone had this made to their own design. It is not quite the seal of the Société des Amis des Noires:



Both derive from the Wedgwood:

 

Perhaps there was a Creole connection? Haiti and maybe even Jamaica(IIRC) also had a contingency of French speakers so maybe it’s not all Continental in its inception?

 

Can't rule it out, but think you would have been risking your life to have such a thing in colonial Haiti. No longer remember whether seller was in US, UK or Europe.

Should mention the photo I showed was lightened to bring up contrast. While the green is not dark enough to look black, it is more of a forest green.