Odd Bracelet

[Customx_12]

Have to admit that I didn't find it detecting. I found it at an estate sale of a WW2 vet. I'm not sure what type of metal but it is possibly aluminum. It is composed of a series of panels. On the front of one of the panels is the letter "E" with the letters "A", "R", and "T" on subsequent panels. In between the letters "A" and "R" is the center panel that says "N=8" on one side and some sort of cross on the other. It appears to be hand made but I have no idea what the specifics are. I'd appreciate any help!

 

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[diggummup]

I can't offer much other than it does look handmade and German military related. The cross is an "iron cross". Possibly a piece of "trench art" made during the war. I don't know what type of parts were used to make it though. Nice piece for sure.


Edit- N8 stands for Nacht in German which means "night" or "good night", unsure if it has to do with the inscription but figured i'd add that info. Since the piece is aluminum (you believe) it may be aircraft parts??.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Looks very well made, but doesn't very look comfortable to wear as a bracelet!

Dave

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Could well be German trench art from either of the two world wars.....Reminds me of tank track. I'd post it here : http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/index.php maybe in the "crosses of the wehrmacht" forum since it has the cross on it.

 

[digging wv]

are you sure it's an iron cross? Could be a maltese cross.

 

[diggummup]

are you sure it's an iron cross? Could be a maltese cross.

That was what I first thought too then I looked it up-



Maltese Cross has 8 points, two on each "arm"

QUESTION- Do the letters spell out like E A N8 R T in that order?

 

[Customx_12]

are you sure it's an iron cross? Could be a maltese cross.

That was what I first thought too then I looked it up-




Maltese Cross has 8 points, two on each "arm"

QUESTION- Do the letters spell out like E A N8 R T in that order?

Yes, it is E A N8 R T in that order. I considered it being an Iron Cross but someone told me it was a Maltese Cross. I didn't realize the Maltese cross has that many points though.

I'll post it to that other forum that someone provided the link for.

Thanks!

 

[Twisted One]

Okay, just some rough research here, but might be something to follow up on. You said he was a WW2 vet, but do you know from where, and what branch?

I find refrence to RAF <Royal Air Force> squadrons with codes of EA, N8, and RT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RAF_Squadron_Codes

According to these codes N8 refered to Flight Station Waterbreach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Waterbeach

And one of them lead to a discussion about the highest medal that was recieved which was a cross, but more detailed. Here is a link to the cross. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross

RT could refer to one of three Squadron 112, which were P-40's the Shark mouths. Squadron 114 which were light bombers. and Squadron 147 which were transport.


EA may refer to the code for Central Fighters Establishment which was a unit of RAF that tested new planes, equipment, and trained pilots. It also leads to RAF squadron 325 which I can't find anything on. Or Squadron no 49.


Squadron 49 is famous for being the only ones to recieve the Victoria Cross listed above, and Operation Grapple which dropped an Hydrogen bomb on Easter Island.

However all of these units had a crest I would expect to be on the braclet too, so all of this may have nothing to do with that braclet at all. But the fact that all three of those sets of letters lead to RAF squadrons that operated in that WW2 era seems like a good chance. You wouldn't have a name, or any other knowledge of the owner of the estate you bought it at would you?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Crosses 101

The German Military used the Cross Patteè (or "Tatzenkreuz" - literally "Paw Cross"). Early in WWI it looked like:

and by 1918 had been modified to :

(one of my hobbies is r/c model aircraft).

The Bracelet cross of this thread is a Cross of St. George:

It is also often used a a freemason symbol, especially in Sweden (just had to throw that out).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Rite

Which is not to say some poor shmoe in a German trench didn't make a simpler cross. It's also quite possible some biker made it in 1980 . Might hard to say from the evidence so far.

 

[Customx_12]

A lot of good ideas and references here but no sure thing quite yet. I signed up at that German forum but they haven't allowed me to post yet. Need admin's approval. Anybody know of some experts I can send pics to? I tried allexperts.com but they didn't know what it was.

 

[Twisted One]

Might try to find a forum for people that work on or restore aircraft from that era, and see if they can ID the parts used. Figure if it is trench work, which it sems awefully good to be trench work, then they would have used parts from something available like airplane wreckage.

I'm not sure what other equipment at that time used Aluminum in its construction. Might have been a military mechanic messing with left overs?

There are also a lot of stories about a lady, can't remeber her name, but they called her the riviter in that era, worked for one of the companies riviting parts for military use I think, and she made jewelry and such at the time if I remember correctly.

 

[ivan salis]

rosie the riveter

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

A lot of possibilities presented here but dont overlook the possibility that it may be a 60's Surfer Cross.
http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Surfer's cross/

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

There are also a lot of stories about a lady, can't remeber her name, but they called her the riviter in that era, worked for one of the companies riviting parts for military use I think, and she made jewelry and such at the time if I remember correctly.

She probably didn't make it well known during the war if that was the case. Aluminum was a strategic war materiel and they frowned on anyone taking it home in their lunch pails. ;-)

 

[ivan salis]

the famous riveter was "rosie the riveter" by norman rockwell --1943

there was a earlier poster 1942 --by miller for westinghouse -- showing a woman rolling up her sleeves -- and the words "we can do it" --that is also called"rosie the riveter"

 

[Sky Pilot]

As a thought: The Fifth Corps of the Union Army also used that style cross during the Civil War.

The links in the bracelet DO look like chain links, so it may also be a Biker bracelet held together by links from a motorcycle timing chain perhaps?

On second thought, the outside of the links do not look mechanical.

Cool find, whatever!


Sky Pilot

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

It does look like a biker bracelet but I cant find a match. http://www.bikerjewelryshop.com/biker_bracelets.html





Could we see a pic of how it connects? Aluminum or Stainless?

 

[Twisted One]

I don't think this is a production piece of jewelry. It was either fashioned by someone with parts they had laying around, or a person making jewelry on the side.

The parts do not fit together tightly. The section where the main badges are the cross, or the N=8 fits loosely, if it was production jewelry it would have had the connecting piece machined to fit together.
And usually an amatuer, or garage jewelry maker would think to have put a spacer in there to atleast make it look like a righter fit if they didn't have the means to maching the piece themselves.

It looks a bit too complex to me compared to a lot of the trench made jewelry I have seen online, yet the etchings on it are the same style as a lot of them, making small stitch looking lines.

I would love to see what a professional would tell you about it, if you get a chance to run it past someone that can tell you more about it please share.

 

[Customx_12]

I believe it to be aluminum but I'm not entirely sure how to best distinguish it from stainless. Here's a picture of the clasp part:

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I believe it to be aluminum but I'm not entirely sure how to best distinguish it from stainless. Here's a picture of the clasp part:

Thanks. It would be nice to see the entire bracelet in one pic but the clasp pic may help. It looks like 2 large spring rings. The spring ring clasp has been around since the 1900's but isnt that unusual to use 2 of them? .


Aluminum would be a lot lighter than stainless steel. Some stainless is attracted to a magnet..

I agree it doesnt fit together well. Arent the zigzag etchings made with a certain type of electric engraver?

Sorry I changed some of my thoughts to questions.