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What are these?

post #1 of 30
3/19/11 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone know?

We're going to an auction tomorrow, and these things are very pretty but I have no idea what they are or what you would do with them.

I'm looking at the ornament-looking things, not the piggy bank or the glass egg. There's 5 of them in the lot plus the piggy bank. They are roughly 6" in length, plus the chain link that attaches a teardrop-cut crystal at the bottom and a pewter-painted/enameled (?) ornament on top. The two I looked at closely have a butterfly on one, dragonfly on the other. Above that is a closure to attach it to (???) that looks like a heavy-duty necklace closure.




Another lady was looking at them and asked me if I knew what they were. We were both stumped. They are pretty heavy - too heavy to be a Christmas Ornament (wrong season, at least in the northern hemisphere). Would be lovely as a window hanger (you know, hang it in a window for decoration) but as they are round they wouldn't hang. I can only think they would be part of a mobile? But that's a total shot in the dark!
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post #2 of 30
3/19/11 at 6:27pm
Looks like tree decorations to me.
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post #3 of 30
3/19/11 at 6:40pm
Are they handpainted? enameled? They are glass? Are they lightweight or heavy?

Not sure of what they are either?
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post #4 of 30
3/19/11 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GailC View Post
Are they handpainted? enameled? They are glass? Are they lightweight or heavy?

Not sure of what they are either?
Gail I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure if the coloring is done by hand or not. I believe they are enameled, and definitely not glass. They are pretty heavy - definitely solid. Not heavy like they are made of lead, more the weight of solid hardwood.

I'm still holding out hope that someone here sees them and laughs at all of us for not knowing!
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post #5 of 30
3/19/11 at 6:54pm
They look to be blown glass bulbs, I've seen them, usually painted more like stained glass.
They are simply decorative items, kinda like 3 dimensional light catchers.
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post #6 of 30
3/19/11 at 7:17pm
If they are heavyish, they are light pulls. You attach them to the chain that turns on a ceiling fixture to make the chain look better. You can use them on ceiling fans too
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post #7 of 30
3/19/11 at 8:11pm
Are they suncatcher type things?
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post #8 of 30
3/19/11 at 10:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlyn View Post
They look to be blown glass bulbs, I've seen them, usually painted more like stained glass.
They are simply decorative items, kinda like 3 dimensional light catchers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanietx View Post
Are they suncatcher type things?
I would agree with both of you except they are solid. The only thing that would catch light is the small - maybe 1/2" long - crystal at the bottom.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sk_pacer View Post
If they are heavyish, they are light pulls. You attach them to the chain that turns on a ceiling fixture to make the chain look better. You can use them on ceiling fans too
They're definitely heavy. They seem awful big to me to be light pulls. They're ~4-5" long and a good 2" diameter at the widest spot. That's the best explanation that fits them so far.
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post #9 of 30
3/19/11 at 10:15pm
I think you need to visit the Antique Roadshow... Hey, you never know, they have things on that show that I think are junk and they get valued at thousands of dollars.

Anyway, sorry I can't help, I've got no idea what they might be. Maybe some sort of decorative painted gourd ornamental type things. They look spring/Easterish to me...?
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post #10 of 30
3/19/11 at 11:06pm
You know, they can be those things that were hung in old bathroom fixtures.

http://www.google.com.ph/imglanding?...w=1680&bih=949
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post #11 of 30
3/20/11 at 7:32am
Someone's craft project?

Or as my Dad would say,"It's a layover to catch meddlers".
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post #12 of 30
3/20/11 at 7:37am
This is toooo funny, I even asked my hubby and my we had friends over last night and they guessed ornaments for the Christmas tree. I was going to say blown glass suncatcher's but you said they are solid!! Don't have a clue, although I have seen those before..... Can't wait to see if any here really knows exactly what they are
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post #13 of 30
3/20/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sk_pacer View Post
If they are heavyish, they are light pulls. You attach them to the chain that turns on a ceiling fixture to make the chain look better. You can use them on ceiling fans too
Quote:
Originally Posted by yayi View Post
You know, they can be those things that were hung in old bathroom fixtures.

http://www.google.com.ph/imglanding?...w=1680&bih=949
I'd guess either of the above, or pulls to attach to draw drapes. I vaguely recall seeing something like that attached to heavy curtains, but I don't remember where.
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post #14 of 30
3/20/11 at 7:49am
They have the potential to become someone's yard art!
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post #15 of 30
3/20/11 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
They're definitely heavy. They seem awful big to me to be light pulls. They're ~4-5" long and a good 2" diameter at the widest spot. That's the best explanation that fits them so far.
Light pulls were fairly large. They were to provide a grip to pull the chain and some were very elaborate probably because light bulbs were mostly bare way back then. They were far better than the idiotic pulls on the chains of my ceiling fans - those are slightly tapered, and only a bit larger on the bottom, and so light that if you miss the first grab, they swing almost as much as a missed chain.
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post #16 of 30
3/20/11 at 10:23am
The Jolly Green Giant's wife's earrings?
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post #17 of 30
3/20/11 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
The Jolly Green Giant's wife's earrings?
You ham! That made me laugh out loud.

They're pretty, but I have no theories to offer!
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post #18 of 30
3/20/11 at 11:42am
Looks like Christmas tree ornaments.
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post #19 of 30
3/20/11 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
The Jolly Green Giant's wife's earrings?

Good guess
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post #20 of 30
3/20/11 at 4:30pm
The decoration looks to me like cloisonne. We have a couple of cloisonne pieces, though no ornaments, as these seem to be. Here is a wikipedia article about the technique and its history. I also found a bunch of hits for cloisonne ornaments, but none with large enough illustrations to really make a comparison with your photo. Hope that gives you something to work with.
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post #21 of 30
3/21/11 at 10:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
I'd guess either of the above, or pulls to attach to draw drapes. I vaguely recall seeing something like that attached to heavy curtains, but I don't remember where.
When I read further in the thread that they were made of wood, drape holders were my guess. Though that toilet chain pull looks good too!
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post #22 of 30
3/21/11 at 12:54pm
Where I live, if we see something we don't know what it is, it gets called a

thingamadodger.
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post #23 of 30
3/21/11 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
I like y'all's ideas better than what they said at the auction. In other words, the auctioneer/people who put on the auction didn't know either. He said "Spring Ornaments" but I know there is a better explanation than that! Heavy curtain pulls makes a lot of sense to me, since they would be quite decorative and are heavy enough to not get lost in the fabric.

I actually tried to buy these just so we could figure it out. The lot went for $40, though, so that was just too rich to try to figure something out. Earl and I think it was more because of the cast iron piggy bank than the pretty ornaments/pulls/thingamawhappers (I'm close to thingamadodgers ).
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post #24 of 30
3/21/11 at 4:50pm
I agree with sk_pacer---pulls for a ceiling light or fan. I was actually more intereted in the clear glass doohickey in the box; reminded me of a witch ball.
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post #25 of 30
3/21/11 at 5:15pm
Whatever they were, they were pretty.

And 'round here we also use "doohickey," though our version of "thingama..." is thingamabobber.
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post #26 of 30
3/21/11 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Whatever they were, they were pretty.

And 'round here we also use "doohickey," though our version of "thingama..." is thingamabobber.
I use "thingy" lol
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post #27 of 30
3/21/11 at 5:37pm
whatchamacallit!
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post #28 of 30
3/21/11 at 8:09pm
thingamabob!
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post #29 of 30
3/22/11 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Whatever they were, they were pretty.

And 'round here we also use "doohickey," though our version of "thingama..." is thingamabobber.

Still wondering what those thingymebobs are
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post #30 of 30
3/22/11 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GailC View Post
whatchamacallit!
Yup, that too!
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