Plummets, Charmstones, and Mystery

[tomclark]

[flintguy]

May sound crazy but I still think that some of them might have been used as actual plums. Need a tree beam straight up and down? Use a plum line. I'm sure with all the styles they were used for other purposes or had another cultural significance, not ruling out the obvious.

[Cecilia]

Hematite, hematite, my middle name, right after quartz.That looks like Rainbow Hematite!

[Cecilia]

Way too beautiful for duty as actual fishing plummet, net weight. Groove not sufficient for cord secure as pendant, and would hang crooked and whack teeth when bending, moving about. Some found grave goods, but none in snare/hunt locales. Mostly, recovered among domestic stuff.

I buy into definitely a weight, and, altho elegant and ornamental, definitely had job. Before had fixed-frame looms, cloth woven with loose strands held together by weight, and other strands gathered and pushed between them with shuttle. If I sat/stood my residence hours creating couture, I’d sure have “silver threads and golden needles”, so to speak. When fixed-frames came along, beautiful plummets kinda lost popularity. (I got lotsa citations basis theory, and will provide if want)

[tomf]

Those are great, Art.

I'm still dreaming of finding a charmstone.


Central California charmstones are spiritual objects , considered to have considerable power. Used as talismans, they were often suspended in hunting and fishing spots to ensure success. Also said to have the ability to fly and to be able communicate to a shaman the location of prey or enemies through dreams. The occur throughout the archeological from Windmiller through Augustine patterns of California cultural history.

Proceedings.13Sharp.pdf

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA CHARMSTONES AS CULTURAL TRACERS .pdf

[SurfaceHunter]

I really don’t know what they were used for myself but I will be looking for others to give opinions I know in Florida they find some interesting types made from shell

[Artifascination]

Check out the erosion hole in this hematite/magnetite plummet. The pictures don’t capture the sparkle in this material.

[Artifascination]

I have always been captivated with the mystery behind the use of these hard stone objects. There are several different assumptions behind their use or purpose. These hematite plummets are known as Poverty Point Macon ridge types that were found here in Chicot county Arkansas on the Macon bayou just north of the famous Poverty Point mounds. The other 2 large charmstones shown were found in Kings county California at the Tulare Lake site. I would like to hear some other opinions from the folks that enjoy this hobby.