🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Found pieces to a copper necklace. Native American?

[FreeBirdTim]

I was detecting in the woods yesterday and found quite a few pieces of thin copper. They all have a tiny hole on the edge, so I'm thinking it was once a necklace. Any chance this necklace is Native American? I know copper kettle points are found on a fairly regular basis around here, so it might be possible that these pieces are that old. Any input would be appreciated.

and found quite a few pieces of thin copper. They all have a tiny hole on the edge, so I'm thinking it was once a necklace. Any chance this necklace is Native American? I know copper kettle points are found on a fairly regular basis around here, so it might be possible that these pieces are that old. Any input would be appreciated.

 

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[ARC]

Not to be funny... but parts of a very old primitive wind chime. ?

 

[CreakyDigger]

Copper tends to have a green patina if old.

For instance:

 

[CreakyDigger]

It's a pretty cool find though, how big are they?

 

[smokeythecat]

Interesting. I'm thinking 20th century as the pieces are quite well made. In the old days a lot of the pieces were quite irregular. I have two items that were made from English halfpennies pounded down to way thinner discs.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Copper tends to have a green patina if old.

Not all the time. I've found colonial shoe buckles and buttons that were the same color as these pieces. Also, they rang up in the 50's, so maybe the pieces are made of brass.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

They are fairly uniform is size and shape, but possibly made by someone with the patience and skill to make them the same size and shape? I'm sure some Native Americans had the skill to make pieces of a necklace uniform in size.

I found these near the Woonasquatucket River in northern RI, where many Native American artifacts have been found over the years. That fact gives me hope that the pieces are not modern. I also found them deep in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Why anyone in the last 200 years would be wearing this style of necklace there is beyond me, unless it was lost by a hippie back in the 1960's! Lol!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

It's a pretty cool find though, how big are they?

They vary in size from 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" or so. The largest one is 2" long.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I agree with ARC. Wind chime/mobile. The sheet metal was rolled. Uniform thickness. Not native. Edge cuts perfect and uniform. Pieces identical.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Why would a wind chime be 1/2 mile in the woods (in the middle of nowhere)? Could be modern, but not a wind chime.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Here's a copper necklace from the 1600's found on Roanoke Island. Some of the pieces sure look uniform to me and they have very sharp edges.

 

[releventchair]

They are fairly uniform is size and shape, but possibly made by someone with the patience and skill to make them the same size and shape? I'm sure some Native Americans had the skill to make pieces of a necklace uniform in size.

I found these near the Woonasquatucket River in northern RI, where many Native American artifacts have been found over the years. That fact gives me hope that the pieces are not modern. I also found them deep in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Why anyone in the last 200 years would be wearing this style of necklace there is beyond me, unless it was lost by a hippie back in the 1960's! Lol!

Congrats on getting out. And of course on the interesting recoveries.

Don't have to be necklace components.
Decorative items were worn many ways.
Skirt , dress , shirt , belt , and more.

Cowrie shell dresses show an example. Some collared , some not.
Not saying your pieces are or are not native , or if native how used.
Just don't want to be stuck on necklace.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I tend to agree with the wind chime theory, but as to why it was where it was is beyond me, maybe someone thought the area needed a windchime in the trees you never know.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Here's a copper necklace from the 1600's found on Roanoke Island. Some of the pieces sure look uniform to me and they have very sharp edges.

View attachment 2030912

The Native Roanoke pieces are fairly uniform. If you stacked them on top of one another, they would not be exactly alike. Your finds, however, are cut with the same die. They would stack, and line up precisely. Additionally, the unique bend is the same, and would fit together, as machine-made pieces would.

Try it. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. As to why they're out in the middle of nowhere, who knows what has gone on in those woods for the last 100 years? They could be that old or older. Or not. Cool find.

 

[GoldieLocks]

I went on E-B and all I could find were wind chimes that had hollow tubes with small copper pieces. I wonder if these are from a natives ceremonial costume?

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I went on E-B and all I could find were wind chimes that had hollow tubes with small copper pieces. I wonder if these are from a natives ceremonial costume?

You need to look for more than just wind chimes they also are referred to as wind spinners with chimes and other names, the single piece in the OP's picture could be considered the spinner and the other pieces are the chimes. I myself make wind chimes out of doorbell tone bars, we run an Apartment complex and have had some doorbells burn out so wind chimes they became.

 

[smokeythecat]

And why in the woods? I have found some odd stuff in the "wrong" places. An antique $5 US gold coin on a MODERN beach. I suppose someone had it in a necklace with a screw closure and it fell out. Or the silver ring in the middle of nowhere. All by itself. Or a 16th century Spanish half blanca coin in a farm field where there were previously just rumors of the Spanish having walked through there (within 10 miles, that is) with no camp, way back in the 1570's. Maybe a buck deer took exception to your brass and it got tangled in its antlers and this is where it ended up. I have seen videos with them with Christmas lights on their antlers. Or a hippie. It would be impossible to be sure. All my native used brass was much more irregular that the pieces you have.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Thanks for all the repies. You''re right, I need to keep an open mind on these pieces. I'll go back today or tomorrow and see if I can find anything else there. I'm just wondering why none of the pieces had any thread or wire on them. Thread could break down over many years, but I've found 1700's buttons that still had thread on the eyelet.

Hopefully, I'll find a roach clip or metal pipe at the spot and then I'll know it was wind chime that a 1960's hippie had while he was camping out on public land! Lol!

 

[DCMatt]

I'm with the others regarding age. I don't get the impression from the pictures that the pieces are very old. But then again, I might think differently if I had them in my hands. I'm guessing it is the remains of an articulating animal pendant. Popular in the 1960's - 70's. Something similar to this. This one is 5 1/2 inches long. They also made owls and elephants and other animals...

 

[smokeythecat]

I was out with a friend a couple years ago. I found three silver modern coins (20th century). Not was I was looking for. He found a George III copper (jealous), and a pipe like you mentioned. Like 10' from each other. I would have rather had the copper.