Rare Gems Found In Antique Jewelry

Among the more unusual gems one might find in jewelry of the late 1800s are the demantoid garnet, the chrysoberyl catseye and labradorite.

The demantoid garnet, discovered in Russia in the 1860s, is a rich green color with more fire to it than a diamond. Although once abundant in jewelry, it has become very scarce, since it was only mined for about 30 years. Now it is usually only seen in antique jewelry. It was often used for the eyes in the popular reptile pieces of the Victorian era.

The chrysoberyl catseye is brownish/green to honey yellow. It appears to have a thin strip of light across its surface when it turns in the light. This “eye” often has a shimmering blue tone. In the best stones, which are a honey brown in color, light striking the stone will create a shadow effect. This causes the side away from the light to appear a rich brown, while the side facing the light will appear yellowish white. In 19th century jewelry the catseye will usually be found either mounted alone in a gold mount or framed in a border of diamonds.

The form of labra dorite used in late-1800s jewelry is a rather grayish stone, until it is turned to the light. Then it shows flashes of blue, green and sometimes orange light. It was usually cut as a cabochon or carved as the head of a wild animal.

Return to Index

Utilitarian In Their Day,
Wall Pockets Now A Collectible

Hard to find are wall pockets made of glass. This one was made by the Tiffin Glass Co. in the 1920s. It is a deep ruby red color. Old Stuff photo

Wall pockets are a type of pottery that is more or less flat on one side, and usually has a hole on the flat side, so that the piece can be hung on a wall. They were designed to hold flowers, which is why they are sometimes known as wall vases. Many homemakers also found them to be attractive holders for matches, especially those with kitchen designs.

Wall pockets have had an up and down trend in popularity. During the 1920s and 1930s, most women had at least one such piece on her wall. After that time, the pockets were rarely seen and seldom available for sale as a new item.

Today, they are back in favor, this time as collectibles. Many pottery collectors watch for them as part of the production of whatever company’s pottery they collect. Others collect wall pockets in and of themselves. Be sure you have lots of wall space if your interests take you in this direction.

Wall pockets were made by most of the art potteries of the early part of this century.

Rookwood made only a few, and these may be hard to find.

Roseville had a variety of designs and their pockets can be found in many patterns.

Weller made several wall pockets in its Woodcraft line, including a squirrel and an owl.

Most of the Hull Pottery’s pockets are in its easily recognizable shades of pastel blue, pink and green.

The McCoy Pottery turned out over 25 designs of wall pockets, in as many different shapes Although harder to find than the company’s cookie jars, they can provide an equally interesting variety.

Royal Copley also produced an interesting variety of wall pockets, carrying the production of these items into the 1940s. Most of them represent characters, such as the Old Lady, and have been made with attention to the detail of the faces. They form an interesting collection of personalities.

Shawnee Pottery made primarily figural pockets, and appealed to a wider market by also making theirs flat on the bottom, as well as on the back, so they could be set on a shelf if one didn’t want to hang them on the wall.
The Pennsbury Pottery, most well known for its pieces with Amish figures, also made a few wall pockets.

A few wall pockets were also made of glass, by American glass manufacturers, during the same period of time.

If a collector does not find enough interesting wall pockets made in America, he also has a variety of imports from other countries to look for.

Fine porcelain pieces were made in Germany by such companies as Heubach Brothers, for export to the United States. Art Deco pockets were imported from Czechoslovakia, and in England, artist Clarice Cliff designed a few.

In the 1920s, beautiful lusterware pieces were imported from Japan. Most are marked “Made in Japan.” Some also carry the Noritake mark.

Return to Index

A Bit Of Bribery Helped Indians Learn
Ten Commandments

A hunting-gathering people named the Schee-Chu-Umsh, (“the ones who were found here,”) once occupied four million acres of northern Idaho and Washington, and western Montana. Extended families lived in conical-shaped lodges, either along the many lakes of the region or at their special food-processing places.

They had their first contact with Europeans who were trappers and traders for the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was possibly some of these early French-Canadian trappers who gave them the name of the Coeur d’Alene, which translates as “heart of the awl.” (Apparently the Indians were shrewd traders, too smart to exchange their valuable furs for the cheap trinkets offered by the trappers. The name indicates that the native hearts were as sharp as the point of an awl, the tool used to poke holes in leather working.)

In the early 1800s, Chief Circling Raven had a vision of a man wearing a black robe who would bring teaching and spiritual power to his people. When the Coeur d’Alene heard of the black-robed Jesuit missionary, Father deSmet, who was working with the Flathead Indians, they believed him to be the answer to the prophecy.

The Black-Robed Jesuits and the Coeur d’Alene first met in 1842 at the head of the Spokane River. A chapel of logs was built and religious instruction began immediately. The Indians embraced Catholicism enthusiastically. As an incentive to learn the various teachings, the Indians at the new mission were allowed to smoke a pipe after each lesson had been learned. The Ten Commandments thus became known as the Ten Pipes.

A pictorial history of the Coeur d’Alene Indians after the arrival of the missionaries can be found in All the West No Place like This, a pictorial history of the Coeur d’Alene region. It was published by the Museum of North Idaho in 1991.

Return to Index