Weird Colorful Glass Thing

[Old Pueblo]

Does anyone know what this is? Its glass and was found in a garbage dump from an old mining camp that goes back to the late 1800s. Found other late 1800s artifacts right nearby, including a couple pearl shell buttons within a few feet of this thing.

 

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[bradyboy]

tough one
sure its glass?

 

[oooldman]

Coaster to place under couch to not snag carpet when moving to sweep underneath. Well thats what my grandmother used them for, and the bottom edges are smoothed to help it slide easier.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Grandma probably knows what this thing is.

 

[Old Pueblo]

tough one
sure its glass?

Yes, did the old tooth test.

 

[diggingthe1]

It may be from a pendant of some sorts. Cool find!

 

[jewelerguy]

I don't believe it's glass. I believe it's a conglomerate stone that's been cut and polished and was probably once in a brooch, a buckle, a bolo tie, or something of that nature

 

[Old Pueblo]

You may be right, but why the gold glitter on the back? That doesn’t look natural to me.

 

[jewelerguy]

You may be right, but why the gold glitter on the back? That doesn’t look natural to me.

on my computer in expanded view of your pics, the gold flecks look like pyrite to me

 

[Old Pueblo]

I can say with 100% certainty it is not stone. There is no way they would have been able to to make the thin, sharp lip you can see in the circle around the center. This lip came from the mold. You cant see it in the photos Ive uploaded.

 

[Oddjob]

View attachment 1515520

 

[Carolina Tom]

Google images: Dichroic art glass

Looks like modern art glass pendent. Odd place to show up near 1800s stuff.

 

[bradyboy]

heat a pin and stick it, looks acrylic

 

[diggummup]

It sure looks like natural fracturing in that piece to me, when the first pic is enlagred. I can see the 2 small square on either side in the center of the depressed area. That piece would have been glued on to whatever it was affixed to from the looks of it. Along the lines of what the jewelerguy originally stated in reply number 7. I have never seen anything quite like it. Beautiful little piece that would go in my dislay cabinet for sure, be it mine.

 

[old digger]

Looks like a composite of materials in a hardened acrylic. As to what it was intended to be used as is anybody's guess. Maybe jewelry, but my guess would be some fancy foot/footing to a fancy keepsake box.

 

[Oddjob]

It sure looks like natural fracturing in that piece to me, when the first pic is enlagred. I can see the 2 small square on either side in the center of the depressed area. That piece would have been glued on to whatever it was affixed to from the looks of it. Along the lines of what the jewelerguy originally stated in reply number 7. I have never seen anything quite like it. Beautiful little piece that would go in my dislay cabinet for sure, be it mine.

Like a place for a Bolo Tie slide.

 

[Old Pueblo]

View attachment 1515520

Thats interesting for sure, and quite possibly a match. But I still dont think its stone. I will try to post a better picture of the back, which looks like a mold seem like you would see on bottles. My camera battery is charging now, though.

 

[diggummup]

Thats interesting for sure, and quite possibly a match. But I still dont think its stone. I will try to post a better picture of the back, which looks like a mold seem like you would see on bottles. My camera battery is charging now, though.

Until then here is a cropped version of the first pic.

 

[ecmo]

Coaster to place under couch to not snag carpet when moving to sweep underneath. Well thats what my grandmother used them for, and the bottom edges are smoothed to help it slide easier.

Agree, my first thought also. My folks used clear glass ones thru the 1950s or so, have seen other colors.

Sent from my LG-V495 using Tapatalk

 

[Old Pueblo]

Until then here is a cropped version of the first pic.

View attachment 1515774

Thanks for enlarging that. If you look and see where all the dirt is in the circle, there appears to be a very thin layer or lip of glass that kind of overlaps the rest of it. You cant really see in this photo and I didnt have any luck with my camera. It also has a lip around the outside edge and at the bottom left in this photo that black line, looks like its kind of swirly like you'd see in a marble. I dont want to rule out stone though. After taking a better look at it this morning and comparing it with some a glass marble, it almost feels more solid or harder than glass, so it could be stone. Im thinking it must have been some sort of charm or have something to do with fashion, because of where I found it and all the old buttons and stuff found nearby. It seems a little to nice and fancy looking for something you put under the leg of a sofa. And I find decorative gem stones and glass charms like this in old c.1900 garbage sites all the time. I have a small green one I found near the place I found this one, but its just flat on the black and more rectangular than square.