posted on October 2, 2001 08:12:21 PM new
At first I thought this might be carved bakelight, but I've rubbed it with my finger to get it warm - no smell. Any other ideas on what material it might be? It is lightweight, I was thinking possible coral.
posted on October 2, 2001 08:28:28 PM new
That is most likely a composite material, often called "resin."
The snuff bottle has a little rough shaped plastic white spoon inside?
Sad to say, but those are not old. They are currently produced in China, maybe India. Wholesale cost... less than $4.75. Widely available at most jewelry, gem & mineral and gift shop trade shows.
posted on October 3, 2001 08:47:13 AM new
This snuff bottle may be from the 30s. I had one that was similar, but more elaborate detailing made of the same or similar material. Of course right now I can't remember what the material is called.
I will look through my notes
posted on October 3, 2001 08:51:39 AM new
RED CINNABAR
if this is really an old piece ,then it is worth something,real cinnabar carved manually.
but if modern repros,it could be cinnabar carved OR resin from a mold,not carved.
you should be able to look at the deatils and see if they are molded or carved.
cinnabar is lighter.
resin is plastic,if you poke a heated needle thru,what do you smell
posted on October 3, 2001 12:08:43 PM new
Tracey: There actually is an international snuff bottle society. You may find what you need at their website: http://www.snuffbottle.org/.
posted on October 3, 2001 12:44:32 PM new
Cinnbar is a soft stone sinilar to our soapstone. You can definitely tell if it is carved or not. You'll see tooling marks from the craving process. If carved it worth good money!! It's been years since I last sold one but it should be worth close to 100.00 maybe more now depending on the buyer. There are alot of collectors of TRUE cinnabar.
Edited to say....
the previous poster was right, they have a spoon sometimes Ivory. If it doesnt have a spoon it isnt complete.
[ edited by jfpnatl on Oct 3, 2001 12:47 PM ]
[ edited by jfpnatl on Oct 3, 2001 12:51 PM ]
posted on October 3, 2001 01:59:31 PM new
Looks to me like Cinnabar
Cinnabar, mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide (HgS), the principal commercial source of mercury. It is bright red in color, crystallizes in the hexagonal system (see Crystal), and has perfect prismatic cleavage. The hardness of cinnabar is 2.5, and the specific gravity is 8.10. The mineral is comparatively rare and usually occurs in volcanic vein deposits in sedimentary rocks. Important deposits of cinnabar are found in Spain, Italy, Mexico, and in California and Nevada in the United States. Artificial cinnabar, made from a mixture of sulfur and mercury, is used as the red pigment called vermilion.
I have sold many snuff bottles but it does not look like coral from the picture
posted on October 3, 2001 01:59:36 PM new
You guys pointed me in the right direction - it appears to be a carved cinnabar lacquered bottle - layers of resin colored with cinnabar - not worth much but pretty!
As I said in my previous post, I think it is cinnabar laquer - is true cinnabar heavy or light in weight? This bottle has a brass? rim at top, and a brass medallion on the bottom with impressed chinese characters.
posted on October 3, 2001 02:32:04 PM new
id the spoon has cork and broken off,sound liks a recent product.you can also rub the cinnabar against a piece of cloth,color should come off.
recent production is to pile all that lacquer stuff over hard surface,and then carve it,like bangles etc,so if you rub it,the color should come off.
posted on October 3, 2001 05:49:17 PM new
There are two materials that are considered "real" cinnabar, and both are desireable:
1. A mineral, natural or artificially produced, that is a HEAVY red mercury compound. Objects are noticeably heavy.
2. The reddish laquer, built up in dozens to hundreds of layers for carving in imitation of the mineral. Sometines built up on a carved surface, then detailed with a bit more carving, sometimes built up on a flat surface (bowl, box, gourd, etc. ) and totally carved. Lightweight material
then there is the reddish molded resin import crap ... if you have ever seen and fondled the real cinnabar, this is easy to spot.
