Brenda Paternoster wrote: > Hello > > I have been sent a photo of some "lace bobbins and lace rings" which > came from two elderly Dutch ladies who said they are ivory. I > personally don't think they are ivory or lace bobbin but would be > interested to know what anyone else thinks they are/were used for. > Please have a look at > http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/lace/query.htm > > Brenda in Allhallows, Kent > http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/index.html
Hi, all, The three pointy things look like awls, used for making eyelets in clothing and embroidery. In the days when clothes were laced onto the wearers, eyelet-making was a standard needlework skill, and not just detail-work for decorative embroidery. I can only guess what the rings are for -- they don't "ring" any bells for me. :-D As for what they're made of, I'm not an expert, but this photo is pretty detailed: these all look like bone (with the possible exception of the awl on the far right). Often you can't tell the difference between bone and ivory, but in this photo, the tiny veins that used to feed the living bone are clearly visible where they've picked up minute dusty-dirt bits over time. Ivory grows without veins, so you'll never see those cut-across veins in things made from ivory. (Having said that, ivory does have a grain-direction, and time and mis-use can permanently deposit grime into the grain of ivory, but that still doesn't look like the veins in bone. And now we're into "need magnifiers and microscopes" territory.) I hope this helps. Cheers! Beth Schoenberg --- in windy and very cold Kambah, Canberra, where the spatter of rain late last night froze on contact onto windshields, and made frost-clearance this morning quite a pain. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
