Mystery locket

Huncamunca

Huncamunca

The Knowledgeable One
Locket.jpg

This locket (click on thumbnail for enlarged view) measures about 15 mm in diameter. It appears to contain a slice of cable, perhaps a telegraph cable for on the reverse of the locket are engraved the words 'Red Sea Telh' (with a superscript 'h').

It was given to me by my grandmother. I believe she had been given it by an ex-boyfriend.

Can anyone shed any light on what it might be?
 
No clues, I'm afraid, Mutters. My grandmother was born in 1903, so the locket can't have come into our family until maybe the 1920s . . . but I would guess that the locket itself is 19th century.

The case may be silver: I'm not sure. I can't see a hallmark. If there is a way to open the locket I haven't discovered it yet.
 
If you visit the following website, you will see a picture exactly like one side of the locket that you have uploaded. The years of 1859 and 1860 are mentioned. :)

atlantic-cable.com/Cables/1859SuezKarachi/
 
Thank you, Jan, that site makes most interesting reading!

The cable in the picture is a lot fatter than mine, but the description in the text sounds just like mine, with a core of seven copper wires (one right in the middle, with six around it), then a blackish layer which is presumably the gutta percha, and then 18 'armouring wires of best selected charcoal iron'.

I wonder if they had spare cable which was sold off as souvenirs? If only I had asked Granny more about the locket when she gave it to me.

Thank you again.
 
The Atlantic Cable Co seemed to have a lot to do with laying cables in the Red Sea.
Here is a link to a non-commercial site and the man is asking:
Cable samples, instruments, documents, brochures, souvenir books, photographs, family stories, all are valuable to researchers and historians. If you have any cable-related items that you could photograph, copy, scan, loan, or sell, please email me:
Click to expand...
He may have more information on the locket for you.
http://www.
atlantic-cable.com/
 
It would appear that they did have 'spare' cable take a look at
66.147.244.104/~amerifl5/americanstories/2012/04/10/transatlantic-telegraph-cable-souvenir/

Best wishes
Ann
 
Thank you Ann, that's a fascinating find! (And welcome, if I haven't already said so! It is lovely to see you again.)

Belated thanks to Mutters too: sorry I didn't spot your reply earlier. I will contact that chap to see if he can tell me any more.
 
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