WORN ON WATCH-CHAINS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 73

WORN ON WATCH-CHAINS.

FOR USE AS WELL AS ORNAMENT.

Watch-chains are personal appurtenances that, besides having decorative qualities, are of real use. Often such chains are finished off or adorned with trinkets of various kinds. That the latter, like the watch-chains, may themselves be both useful and ornamental we shall show.

At a glance, our first charm, jn the form of a miniature sewing-njachiue. would hardly appear ljkely to aid our argument. Worn by an American maker of sewing -machines, it wa6 an exaot model of some of his wares, and it would actually "work," being complete in all details. So

A WORKING MODEL. OF LEAD AND GOLD. much curiosity did it arouse that it soon became an 'excellent advertisement for full-sized sewing-machines of the same pattern. Its owner and wearer refused considerable sums for his model, and he said that any article proved to be as valuable as that would have to be very ugly indeed for it© possessor to consider it other than ornamental.

Watch-chain trinkets are very often of the memento order. At one time little cases, with glass faces, to contain a lock of human hair were quite common. Tiny portrait frames, to hold a picture of just the face of some person,- also had their day. Sportsmen who have shot, say, a tiger, will have one of the animal's claws mounted as an ornament for the watchchain. Above is shown a rifle bullet with which a certain British officer was wounded in India. The bullet being extracted, the officer had it mounted thus in gold to serve as a seal, and to-day it hangs from his watch-chain.

Our third example shows a neat case, just large enough to take postage stamps.The front is of glass, and the ca&e itself bears a "moulded" pattern like a picture frame. Small watch-chain cases, made to contain one sovereign, are useful to absent-minded men who sometimes forget to put money in their pockets. Persons liable to fainting fits or other sudden indisposition are sometimes recommended to wear little medals on their watch-chains inscribed with their name and address. Their identity is thus to be ascertained.

The small tubular case of gold was worn on the watch-chain of an artist who had several times lost good ideas for pictures through not jotting them down as they occurred to him. He resolved never thereafter to be without pencil and paper^ to effect wlfcich end he had this

watch-chain ornament made. Emerging from the case is a tiny roll of white paper, below which is seen a small pencil, to go inside the roll of paper in the case.

LIKE A PICTURE FRAME. FOR ARTISTS. Underneath the pencil is the push-on cap of the case.

Next comes another item with a history. An entomologist, when one day on a baie plain, came across a specimen of a very rare beetle. He much wished to study the insect, but having riothing in which to imprison it, he placed it in his coat pocket, and held the pocket closed

all the way home. Despite bis care, howevef, the prisoner escaped. To obviate a repetition of the experience the entomologist had a case made, with gold ends, which case, as the picture explains, while ordinarily hanging on the looking like a small ball, could yet, by a concertina-like provision, be lengthened out to constitute a temporary prisop for a beetle.

The article seen hanging from the chain in our last drawing looks like a charm somewhat in the iorm of a leaf. That is what it masquerades as. A certain wealthy gentleman .with a taste -for precious stones has a safe in which he keeps the choicest gems of his collection. The safe has a keyhole in the usual place that a keyhole should be, which keyhole,

however, is a dummy one. A row of imitation screw-heads runs down each side of the safe, and it is the slot cut in one of these screw-heads — marked in the picture with an X — that is the real keyhole. The leaf "charm" of gilt and burnished hard metal, that ornaments its owner's watch-chain, proves also its usefulness by being the key of thr safe. — CaeselP. Saturday Journal.