Anyone out there ever hear of the Zero Factor? It goes like this.
Excluding Reagan and Bush --though Reagan barely escaped an
assassination attempt–no US president elected in a year ending with
a zero ever left the white house alive. Lincoln won the presidential
election in 1860.
As to you folks with little patience out there… and I suspect there
might be a few… this does indeed have to do with jewelry. You
simply have to let me meander through the tributaries of little known
phenomena before I present the punch line. Oops. Wait. Another
tangential fact. There is a river located in present-day Turkey by
the name of Maiandros or Maeander which runs a very crooked and
serpentine path as it stretches along its lower reaches. It is from
the name of this river that we come to the term meander or
meandering. That said… back to ol’ Abe.
I am sure you have all heard the story as to how a young girl
influenced President Lincoln to grow a beard. The story is quite
charming… and I am presenting it here below in its unedited
version. Enjoy… and I will then go directly to the jewelry aspect
of this Tidbits.
…
Hon A B Lincoln…
Dear Sir
My father has just home from the fair and brought home your picture
and Mr. Hamlin’s. I am a little girl only 11 years old, but want you
should be President of the United States very much so I hope you wont
think me very bold to write to such a great man as you are. Have you
any little girls about as large as I am if so give them my love and
tell her to write to me if you cannot answer this letter. I have got
4 brother’s and part of them will vote for you any way and if you let
your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for
you you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All
the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husband’s to vote
for you and then you would be President. My father is going to vote
for you and if I was a man I would vote for you to but I will try to
get every one to vote for you that I can I think that rail fence
around your picture makes it look very pretty I have got a little
baby sister she is nine weeks old and is just as cunning as can be.
When you direct your letter direct to Grace Bedell Westfield Chatauque
County New York
I must not write any more answer this letter right off Good bye
Grace Bedell
…
And so we come to a jeweler. I know not who he is. Yet I suspect he
was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln for he created a yellow gold
gent’s ring with two fancy shaped diamonds and a carved sapphire in
old Abe’s image. It’s more than just interesting for its topic. I
never saw an intaglio gem with a president’s image as its subject
matter. The likeness is superb. In today’s market I think the ring
would be worth around $2800.00… though this figure does not take
into account potential collectors’ values.
I know this is a rather short Tidbits… but what can I say about ol’
Abe that most of you don’t already know.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at http://www.tyler-adam.com where you
will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Current Tidbits… click it… and you will see represented on
our pages a sapphire intaglio ring of Abraham Lincoln.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark