Sterling Lapel Pin or cuff link (I think?)

[PetesPockets55]

I got out on New Years Day (2025) to the local riverbank near a Second Seminole War fort. It is brackish water (more of an estuary) Things generally hold up better there than on the beaches.

It was in an early stretch of shore where I mostly find modern items, so I wasn't paying much attention. It was a darkened blob but I could see the curved stem on the back and immediately thought Cuff link. I put it in my little plastic case and kept on trucking.
I got home, and started running it under water while gently wiping it with my finger to remove the buildup. (The fixed bulb on the end had broken off while being jostled in the plastic case. Arrrg!)

As it cleaned up I could see a design, but it wasn't clear. I kept turning it and with my phone camera I thought I could make out a halo over a portrait. Ok, that's kind of cool. Clean it more and I realize I had been looking at it upside down. The "halo" was actually a large ornate collar. When I oriented it properly, I saw this .....

I swear I was seeing a minotaur with horns above the ears and a yoke around the neck.
My son said to put it back because it might be the makings of a Stephen King novel.

Well, after getting better images with my macro lens I can safely say the facial feature are much too feminine to be a minotaur.
It is marked "STERLING" on the curved stem and I think this image represents nobility or upper echelon of society with the "Really Big Hair" they wore back in the Elizabethan era, with big collars as well.


A group image including some lead shot and repurposed lead.


Below is the repurposed lead. They used a square nail to make a hole in it.



If anyone has any info on the lapel pin, I sure would appreciate some guidance and info about the design or the era for this type of jewelry.

EDIT: I forgot to add this image, representing what I'm thinking from back in the day.
httpswww.worldsfacts.com17-interesting-facts-about-hairstyles-in-the-elizabethan-era

 

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[Red-Coat]

Cool design, but what I’m seeing is a stylised ‘Gibson girl’ with Art Nouveau imagery which would likely put it between the 1890s and the 1910s. This kind of thing:

Although large ‘collars’ were worn in Elizabethan times, they were ‘ruff’ collars intricately made from linen cambric or lace, as shown in the picture you found. Quite unlike the crescent on your item.

I would be pretty sure that it’s a cufflink and the curved arm ‘bean back’ style is also typically from around the Art Nouveau period. Note that America didn’t begin to embrace the Sterling standard until about 1868, so pieces marked with the word ‘Sterling’ are unlikely before that date. British pieces in sterling silver don’t carry the word itself but use hallmarks to designate the silver standard.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Very nice !

 

[pepperj]

Congratulations on the cufflink.

The lead washer could be from a roofing nail. They were used to as a washer on slate or for copper.

 

[PetesPockets55]

(My apologies for the delayed response.)
Thanks to everyone for stopping by and taking a look. I was hoping I'd be fortunate enough to have Redcoat venture by and offer some insight.
Redcoat's ID of "... a stylised ‘Gibson girl’ with Art Nouveau imagery ..." seems spot on. Thank you!
(I was a bit disappointed the better images showed it wasn't a minotaur. LOL)

I am sticking with my initial belief that this is a lapel pin or "button hole" jewelry as opposed to a cuff link since the stem on the back has a very shallow depth to it and was fixed (it didn't pivot or lock onto the underside of the cuff hole.) The small oval knob wouldn't have worked well to stay in a shirt cuff with all the movement hands go through.
It just seems this was designed to avoid rubbing and irritating any skin when it went through the hole.

Congratulations on the cufflink.

The lead washer could be from a roofing nail. They were used to as a washer on slate or for copper.

Interesting. Thanks for that possibility, PJ.
I've seen those used with some modern roofing products. The lead expands and seals around the nail as it was hammered in. This one doesn't look commercially produced though.
The square hole is what I based a large part of my ID on and the fact it looked like it had been cut/worked on the backside.

Thanks again everyone for the interest and helping on this one.

 

[jewelerguy]

I agree with Red Coat. Art Nouveau period Gibson type girl image. Although it does look a little bit like Large Marge from Pee Wee's Big Adventure