That brooch is stunning! I think cleaning it in this case is a fab idea so you can see the lovely design so maybe cleaning should only be done sometimes in situations like this one.
11:05 am from Lancaster Pennsylvania. I am a metal detector of over fifty years. I prefer minimal restoration on most artifacts, but I would make an exception for this lovely piece of history so it shows it's beauty and craftsmanship for many following generations. Stunning find sir
Hi Kevin, what a special find the broach is. I think if it were me, I would at least inquire if the glass could be polished to look as it might have, without further damaging it. If the answer is yes, then I believe it would look even more stunning, plus the story is the story with or without the blemishes. Enjoy your outings, you have become quite adept at creating an entertaining video.
Picasso used the motif dove and the olivleaf a lot, I hope your rock Christal is his design! I would let it cleaned as it is so pretty. I loved the music in this video so much, made me feel happy! Thanks Kevin and Happy Easter! xxx
Great video Kevin, you and Trev found some wonderful treasures, I love the scale pipe bowl and the pieces of slipware charger as well as the gorgeous broach. I am torn as to clean or not, it is wonderful as is but just think how it would catch the light and show the etching better. BTW, loved the music!!! Thank you till next time.
Hi Kevin, I love the broach. I would suggest polishing the crystal but leaving the metal alone. The crystal was so beautiful when it was just coming out of the water so it was wet, and you could see the dept of it. Amazing find and also amazing it didn't get chipped or cracked in the river over the years.
Hi Kevin, i just love all your videos, they are quite enjoyable. I would polish the quartz only, the brooch is beautiful. Also it is the first time seeing a fish scaled pipe bowl. Looking forward to more videos. Take care
Was just thinking we haven't had an explanation for a bit and up it popped, never knew crystals could produce a charge. I like a bit of a rant it makes your channel yours. I like the way that the dullness makes you look hard for the picture within, just like you had to to find it 😊
I love the music! it is a great choice for the todays finds!! It just sets the mood.... I love the rock crystal, they are beautiful! I can go both ways with polishing the brooch or not. Glad it is not me, perhaps take it to the museum and ask them what to do........
I would have it cleaned and polished in a heartbeat. I'm a guy who likes crystals in their natural condition, but this is a fine piece of jewelry and deserves to be special again.
Wow. How come I haven't come across your channel before? I really enjoyed this video and love your style of editing. You had some brilliant finds but that broach is an absolute belter of a find. It is stunning. I get so jealous with the amount of clay pipes that are found on the Thames too. We don't get many of those down our way so when we do find them, we get very excited. 😂 New sub from us. Thank you for taking us along with you.
The lovely brooch most definitely would benefit from a polish to show its original beauty. Some finds seem to be just as precious in their 'found' condition as that's part of the story. PS. I found your 'rant' to be an intelligent one. Rachelle, Australia.
Wow, the Thames gives up some amazing finds. I thought at first that the brooch was modern junk, you can buy settings that look like the one you found but made in China, real junk. Really cool find!
I must admit when I first pulled it out the mud , my initial thought was modern junk . Erspecially with that fragile hinge still holding the pin in place =o)
Wow Kevin, that Staffordshire slipware charger must have been Huge ! Such a shame , but it would have been a small miracle if it had been complete. Lovely . I would polish the rock crystal brooch if it were me Kevin. You can use a very fine jewellers polishing compound, (the ones for watch glasses are good), easily found nowadays on the internet. It should polish up well. Love your videos , always look forward to your posts, many thanks
Thanks a lot Barbara . I did think about polishing it myself . Only thing I'm worried about is accidentally polishing the silver too and losing the patina . Glad you liked it =o)
That crystal Broach (brooch)?(sp)? What an amazing find! Quartz crystal, black onyx etc are said to protect you from negative influences. Even if its not proven, the power of suggestion is there, and that in itself can be powerful.
The brooch is a stunner. Congratulations! I assume it was reverse painted to show off the design, as was the fashion of the time. I can see arguments on both sides of the restoration question. It’s your call either way.
I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but I'd polish half the brooch, leaving the other side to retain the story of its travails. Also, I'm with you on the rant!
I think your brooch may have once been reverse-painted on the back side. Look up “Essex crystal” to see examples of this form. Cheaper versions in the early 20th century were made from pressed glass, and go by the hilarious name “goofus glass.” Mid-century examples were made of clear plastics, and usually had flowers carved in the back. Essex crystal is quite collectible these days. I have an Edwardian stick-pin with an enchanting if rather undignified portrait of a rather chubby kitty. Hunting motifs were very common in Essex crystal. I’d definitely apply a bit of lapidary polish to the crystal, but if I inadvertently removed the patina from the silver, I’d paint it with dilute bleach, and then wash it off ASAP. Love your cranky rant, and am in total agreement. I live in the epicenter of pseudo-science (Northern California). I suppose our current new age nonsense is just the latest iteration of the Victorian’s snake oil cures.
Thanks a lot Lisa . Yeah , getting polish on the silver is what scares me . Removing that patina would be awful . Yeah , with you on the pseudoscience . Better use that bleach quick , before Trump drinks it =o)
'Never seen a fish scale pipe and I always like a nice token, but that brooch! Yowza. To clean or not to clean, that is the question. I'd probably lightly clean the silver, just enough to see that it's not base metal. And display it pinned to a dark color fabric so the carving really pops. I like the history bits you share, but really enjoy your snarky comments!
I would say get the metal frame and pin highly polished and buffed smooth. For the rock crystal and its etching - one would use some (car wax) carnauba wax to fill in any of the many micro-pits and scratches of the forward (obverse) side for a clear and highly smoothed and buffed surface. As to the actual etching on the rear (reverse), one would want to fully toothbrush with micro-polishing agent the etching and lines. Then potentially fill in with a colored plaster (or such) into the actual etching so that the whole 3D etching becomes alive with white done and green olive branch (and potential black olives). Then polish and buff the back with carnauba so that everything is totally primo. Then you will have a marvelous 3D etched rock crystal and insignia brooch. Worth some major money on the auction market.
Cheers John . Thanks for the advice , I think a little drastic ? I really wouldn't polish the silver or the copper-alloy myself . Or touch the etched side of the crystal ?
Rant away, Kevin! The British Museum (and many others) nicking treasures from other cultures and then reluctantly repatriating them is an appropriate rant. Although, many cultural items were taken at a time when certain countries/cultures had no way of preserving these items. Perhaps we can view the nicking museums as the temporary caretakers who repatriated when the receiving country/culture could appropriately care for them. Always enjoy your point of view! Love and hugs from New Mexico USA.
I'm always surprised at the items that survive what looks like the inside of a giant rock tumbler. The brooch with attached pin is a beauty, a bit of polishing may really bring out the sparkle and enhance the dove design. I think the placebo effect may come into play for some of the claims made of crystals, they are quite special though. Some of the human races largest advancements come from mere stones, like fire and the advent of radio.
Yeah . Same as anything . If you believe in anything from crystal healing to homeopathy to acupuncture to speaking to the beardy spaceman , the belief can make you believe it's doing good , the same as any other placebo . But doesn't mean there's any actual truth in claims they work . Cheers mate =o)
@@medwaymammalianmudlark yes I have ; it comes from little Mary but more than that the algorithm is pulling my strings defaulting to other channels and besides marionettes are interesting . Learning how to build them is my next research. Nice people in the marionette world.
Hiya I started watching, but I cannot listen to that annoying loud music, I appreciate if it's your choice and your happy with it but I feel it really spoils your video, just polite feedback and yes I don't have to watch, and that is sadly what I shall do 👍🤠
