Featured What would you call the "stone" in this fob?

It appears to be glass set in worn gold-filled metal. It's on a black ribbon ... and this is one I've never seen before. It was too cool to pass up, but what is it?

 

Looks like green glass melted into pockets carved into metal and then coated with red glass to maybe simulate opal. Appears the red glass on top has worn down the the metal base.

 

I had it figured for some kind of opal simulant.

 

I'm trying to think how you would mix glass and metal with any high degree of success... seems like there would be a high percentage of explosions during the molten phase and/or fractures during the cooling phase.

 

It works with cloisonne.

 

ah, I thought you were talking about pouring molten glass into a mold along with metal.

Still questioning the compatibility of this not-copper with glass.

 

Many metals can be enameled including steel..... https://www.enamelcenter.org/enameling-on-steel-kat-coles-marvelous-workshop/

 

yep... as they say: "The biggest trick with enameling, of course, is getting the enamel to bond properly with the metal."

Of course, using a not-suited-for-enameling metal could be the reason for what looks like missing bits of glass.

 

I think Hollyblue is right... glass melted together (I am old, not seeing the metal pockets) to simulate opal. I showed an unusual cameo a few weeks ago, the back was melted glass to make the cameo (which was clear) appear iridescent like opal....

 

Evelyb, is that metal IN the center where the glass is? Do you think this could have been done as a memento/mourning piece? The black ribbon makes me think this.....Could the metal have been a piece of something special? Just food for thought.

 

It's glass in the center as far as I can tell, set in metal. The ribbon may just be ribbon; black was used as a fashion item by the time this was made.

 

So the part I've colored over is all glass?

 

Green and some red in "carved" out pockets with a top coat of red.The red appears to have chipped away from a "silver" colored metal base.

 

The tarnish comes off with my thumb. It may actually be silver. I just took a 40x loupe to it and the silver part I thought was glass is actually metal. Now I'm even more curious; I've never seen one of these before.