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Plummets, Charmstones, and Mystery

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  • #31
    A Charmstone of sorts? Part of an Old Timer's collection from southwest New York State, Erie County County area: this collection contained 1000+ pieces, most of which were common and/or broken as would be expected, but also included beautiful Meadowood cache blades with a detailed 'treasure map' of where the cache was found. I picked out the two pieces of Mica because I had read in Ritchie that mica was thought to have been used as a ceremonial object and could have been part of the cache.
    Cayuga County, NY Finger Lakes Region

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    • Artifascination
      Artifascination commented
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      I have seen a 2 hole Gorget made from mica. Very neat but very fragile material.

  • #32
    Gorgets and Hands....

    Cayuga County, NY Finger Lakes Region

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    • #33
      Click image for larger version

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      Heavily Engraved Archaic drilled Hematite Plummet found in Scott Co, Missouri and measures 3 inches long and is 1.1/8 inches in width across the body of the piece. This amazing plummet is made from a high grade black hematite and is engraved with a large cross hatch pattern that looks like a netting design. There are many other engravings on this piece that are still to be determined. This piece was part of the Dr. Kent Westbrook collection and is one of the rarest relics known.
      SE ARKANSAS

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      • tomf
        tomf commented
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        Wonderful.

      • Benji
        Benji commented
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        Very nice art

    • #34
      Originally posted by artifascination View Post
      Click image for larger version

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Size:	51.4 KB
ID:	591079Click image for larger version

Name:	800BB2F6-47D7-4AB4-BEF4-693DE0348F8F.jpeg
Views:	219
Size:	49.4 KB
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      heavily engraved archaic drilled hematite plummet found in scott co, missouri and measures 3 inches long and is 1.1/8 inches in width across the body of the piece. This amazing plummet is made from a high grade black hematite and is engraved with a large cross hatch pattern that looks like a netting design. There are many other engravings on this piece that are still to be determined. This piece was part of the dr. Kent westbrook collection and is one of the rarest relics known.
      wow!
      Attached Files
      2ET703 South Central Texas

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      • #35
        Great stuff. The theory around these parts is they were possible used as netweights or as a counter balance weight for a weaving mechanism

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        • #36
          Wow! Those are some beautiful artifacts! And a plummet is a very rare a special piece to find in my opinion as ive only found one in my many years of hunting. Im feel just like someone else mentioned, i could not see or only imagine the time and skill it took and make such a perfect, symmetrical, perfectly balanced hard stone artifact just to be tied to a net and thrown in a river with the likely possibility of it easily be lost or taken by the river itself. I feel they had a much more significant purpose as just about anything can be picked up, tied to and used as a net weight. That does not require anything specially made. And id bet such “net weights” were likely often lost and maybe only used once and discarded and readily available as the banks of rivers and streams were lined with many stones that could be picked up and used when needed. But that is just my opinion on it, as ive done alot of fishing over the years and can think back of the many items we ourselves used as anchors! Lol. Never would i tie anything of value or go through the trouble of acquiring or making something to just drop in the lake or river because i know what often happens. And such tool basically only requires one thing to be useful for its purpose, weight! The plummet i found personally was almost completely overlooked and walked past being that my eyes arent trained to or look for nor were they focused on anything like that or of that material because of the rarity and lack of these items at the site i was at. But as i was walking and heading back to where i had started and was basically done hunting for the day, i saw a closed up pine cone in my path and kicked it as i walked by. So i just thought it was a pine cone!!! If it were just that it was the heaviest one ive ever seen! And much to my amazement and disbelief i had reached down and was holding one of the finest plummets id ever even seen at that time and could not believe how lucky i had to be for that to just happen! Never forget that day either. What a way to end the day. Mine does not have a drilled hole or a groove at the top and doesn’t appear to have ever had one either. Its just a flat top and i havent seem many like it. Most having some sort of tying area. Seems odd to me but i have found other artifacts as well that I believe were going to be a gorget or pendant or what have you but were just never finished or made into a final product. We all have these things in life laying around that we have started to do or work on and got put away or to pushed to the side to do something else more important or just lost interest in or no longer have the need for. And they likely had the same happen to them i would think. I always look at things from basic human nature and our habits, and ways of doing things and apply them to the ancient ways of doing things and their thoughts. It helps me visualize things and understand and look at the possibilities of every piece i find and think more about it and do research. Im sure others dont see my views of certain things and im the same with other peoples views too. Yet I respect and listen to everyones opinions no matter how vivid they are or unlikely they may seem to me. Im no expert and will never try and correct or argue with anybody about something that happened many thousands of years ago that any of us can likely prove, only imagine and speculate. We all think differently than others and are unique,
          so was every other human that has ever walked this earth so always keep that in consideration when examining your artifacts you find and dont always just assume things. Im always
          seeking advice and views from others even if i think i know about something. So keep posting those finds and sharing with all of us who value seeing them and hearing the stories of how they were found! Id be proud to own any or all of those and would be happy to post them and show them off any day! Congratulations.

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          • #37
            Ok, thought id go ahead and share these. The notched artifact i do actually call my “net weight” although i doubt was its purpose and am unsure of what it is. The next one is the un drilled, no notched plummet i spoke of. And the last one i refer to as my “soap stone” because to me it looks just like and reminds me of a well used bar of Lava soap that always sat at the back of my
            late grandfathers sink. But id love to hear any thought opinions or view of what it may be. I have thought maybe undrilled gorget or pendant possibly and read about soft stones of similar shape the Caddo used to smooth and polish the surface of their pottery and even considered that. The material i think is very for the area as ive never seen any before and there appears to be tool marks, or scratches on the surfaces and has edges kind of squared off as u may can see if zoomed in on. I can provide better angle pics, of the other sides or, and measurements if needed and apologize for not having them already. Just the pics i have available at the moment. And the net weight i found in Howard county AR, the plummet was found in Little River county AR and the soap stone i found down in eastern TX piney woods in Cass County Thanks guys
            Attached Files

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