Damascene pin
Pin
CLOTHING & ACCESSORIESUSA, CA, San Francisco
before 1924
steel; gold
overall: 1/4 x 2 in.; overall: 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/8 in.
Pin; Damascene pin; from the collection of Captain Richard C. Mears (1829-1899); pin showcasing the art of damascening, which involves inlaying different metals into each other (in this case, gold into what looks like steel); wide and narrow with what looks to be gold and black flowers and grasses on a dark background depicted on the front; hinged pin back; pin came wrapped in a piece of cotton, and residing in a small wooden box; the box is made of soft wood, with a lid that lifts off completely from the bottom portion; handwritten on the lid of the box in pencil "Damascene Work/ 1924.A.D./ San Francisco".
2005.34.402