What is this?
A set of coral jewelry bought in the Mediterranean by Purser Thomas Chew for his wife Abigail
When is it from?
First quarter of the 19th century.
Why is it Important?
The correspondence between Purser Thomas J. Chew and his wife Abigail Hallam (preserved in the Clements Library, University of Michigan) reveal that theirs was a tender and loving relationship. She bore with equanimity the frequent partings and setbacks that came with having a husband tied to the service. Thomas, for his part, strove to increase his income so that he could provide from his wife and infant son. He frequently sent gifts home to them, tokens of his affection. It is likely that this set of coral jewelry was one such gift brought home after a long voyage to the Mediterranean. Chew very well may have purchased these baubles when his ship, the Washington, visited Italy between 1816 and 1818. It is not difficult to imagine them gracing Abigail’s neck, wrists, and ears as she stood before the mirror, counting the beads as she counted the days until her husband would return from sea
The set consists of a red coral and pearl necklace, 14 ¼” long, double stranded with five cameos evenly spaced 2½ inches apart. The cameos are two different sizes: 2 are 1 inch high and 3 are 3/4 inches high. All represent female heads. Tiny pearls set in a gold frame surround each cameo. The beads, interspersed with sets of smaller diabolo-shaped beads, are scored. Two bracelets, each 9″ in diameter, consist of two strands of beads and feature a cameo surrounded by pearls set in a gold mount. The clasps are also gold. A 1 ¼-inch long cameo brooch and a matching ¾-inch pin both feature similar gold and pearl mounts. Two pendant earrings, each 1 ½ inches long, features coral cameos descending from a simple silver ear clamp or screw, also ornamented with a coral cameo.