Check this piece out. WHAT IS IT!!!!!

[Rooster]

Hey fellow diggers, I found this at an old house circa 1885 about 8" down in the hardpan. Ithink it's either brass or copper but it seems to be hand made. The face seems to be carved out of ivory,bone or shell. It,s kind of creapy to look at. Any opinions or information about it would be great. Thanks and happy diggin, The Rooster

 

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[stefen]

One way to check and see if the face is ivory or bone. Heat a needle tip to fire hot. Put it at a spot that would not disfigure the piece usually on the back of an item or under it , If Ivory or Bone it will not melt in any way .

If ivory, it will smell like burnt hair.

 

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[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

This thing looks African..You could have a very old and rare piece that a African Slave may have worn. The piece in the center is clearly an African mask and made of Ivory thats worth about $800.00 a kilo (2.2 lbs) Oh if it scares you to much I will take it off your hands I think its one of the coolest necklaces I have seen in a long time. It is likely it is, a charterer of an African God or being of worship. Maybe one of luck or protection. Nothing to fear I would take this to a good antique shop and have them check it out.

Great find, Keep @ it and HH!!

 

[SwampHunter]

Antique Mr. T starter kit?

 

[dr-quest]

VERY VERY COOL 8)
I have had ivory faced jewellery from china and mexico before.However the metal work looks more persian or turkish.Africa wasnt a bad guess but the face isnt right.Possibly Morocco.Are there any markings at all?.Also the large size makes me think persian.
I know if I found it I would be thrilled

 

[VikingTom]

this is a very interesting item. It could be from many cultures from it`s carved design. Best ways to determine would be to find out if it is bone or ivory in composition.
There can be arguments for a dozen cultures. even innuit for the carved part.
The headband around the carving tends to push me in differentdirections than what i have seen posted here. Perhaps it is Japanese and carved of whale bone.. The design of the outer part seems to be that it was to hang vertically with another item attatched below, perhaps more of the "body" was once there and hung from the lower attaching point.
The metal parts are not ancient by craftsmanship, but i would check the inner part and see how smooth the carved head actually is.
The surface of this will give you more insight into the age. If you feel carving marks it could be quite old.
I have a chinese bronze with simlar facial structures and my bronze dates to 1122 BC.
You have quite a find here. Keep us all informed if you find out more about the origin.
Peruvian, Mexican,Japanese, African, American Indian Tribes , or even the Innuit people, you have an item that will interest everyone as it is just strangely and Cool

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Rooster>>>>>>>>>>>>.glad you found an avatar now put it next to your name...sorry about the jinx!

 

[Ima Swinger]

Alien relic? Maybe belonging to the commander of the Mothership.
Search for wreckage in the area. 8)
VERY cool find.

 

[CraigT]

looks like Jimmy Hendrix voodoo child jewelery ........HH

 

[ivan salis]

there were many indain tribes in mexico and in central and south america---in fact mexico has a day of the dead*** it a very big deal-- there are many death face items and other odd and scary type items that come from south of the border ---it comes from the old indain ways of worship-- likely its part of that type of thing ---be aware some things are left in certain places for a reason ---only you know where this "item" came from--- if it was one of those type places (and if it was you would or should have "felt" something odd when you moved it from its resting place) please do yourself a favor put it back quickly---if no bad vibes came from it at the time--- all should be ok.---ivory is indeed a rare and $$$ thing --so are real old rare indain art objects $$$---enjoy the item and do have it checked out properly you might be very surprized. Ivan

 

[Ridley]

That piece looks like early "Art Nouveau" or you might google "Jugendstil".

I would peg the age of it at 1880-1910. The flowing natural design elements combined with the ivory face is typical of that period. Any kind of markings would go a long way in identifying it.

Very cool find indeed!


Ridley

 

[EDDE]

its the original Brady bunch Tiki idol

 

[Rooster]

VERY VERY COOL 8)
I have had ivory faced jewellery from china and mexico before.However the metal work looks more persian or turkish.Africa wasnt a bad guess but the face isnt right.Possibly Morocco.Are there any markings at all?.Also the large size makes me think persian.
I know if I found it I would be thrilled

It has a small tiny mark on the back that looks to be made in mexico. I dont know when they first started marking items but the face appeirs to be hard like ivory. Thanks for your thoughts about the piece. It;s still the coolest find I have gotten.

 

[acevillav]

Any history on the house or area you found it in could help narrow down what it is. knowing who was there before should at least point you in the general direction.Very cool piece regardless 8).

Acevillav

 

[diggummup]

Great,it says "Made in Mexico" on the back.That tells us that it was more than likely made after 1914,since that is when it became a law to mark items imported into America with the "made in" labeling on it.Before that it would have just said "Mexico" or perhaps nothing at all.Someone mentioned Mexico's "Day of the Dead" celebration that has a long history in Mexico and many of other central American countries.Since this piece is not "signed" by the maker and is stamped "Made in Mexico",it is probably a piece of tourist jewelry,made for export,possibly to commemorate this event.Then again,it may have nothing to do with the event at all.Also I don't think it is ivory because it is marked "made in mexico" and it is not signed by the maker.I would expect an ivory piece to be signed.Also Mexico isn't really known for an abundance of ivory goods,it could be bone,stone or marble but it's probably alabaster.I'm also gonna adjust my age guesstimate on it a little and say late 1930's to late 40's,since there was a tourism boom in Mexico from Americans in this era.This is all just my opinion,i'm by no means an expert at identifying Mexican jewelry. LOL.With all this said,it is a very cool piece.