Landing on Treasure Island
Approach the Island,
the sound of the hull sliding across the sand,
bow lifting, boat coming to a complete stop,
stern swinging round pushed by waves.
Hop ashore; be the first to step on the Island.
Any time I’ve come to the Island I feel the pull and possibility of adventure. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the certainty that there is treasure buried on the Island. Here, on the first Island that I knew, the very first Island I set foot on as a child, I’ve always felt the presence, possibility, and aura of pirates. In the 1800’s a farmer and his son plowed up a pot of gold and silver early English coins. (The deeper story of this find is at the Maine Historical Society here in Portland, Maine, three blocks from our store, where they have the coins.)
In my 5th summer, sitting on a beach on the north end of this Island, my mother told me a prophetic story as we sat eating Italian sandwiches, King Cole chips, and Coke from little green glass bottles. We were midway through lunch. As she ran her hand through quartz and red garnet sand she said, “You know that where you find red sand there’s buried treasure.”
She didn’t know the story of the farmer and his son who had found a pot of gold less than 300 feet from where we sat. She had no idea that in the next cove over I would find a stone 35 years later that would be inspiration for a million dollar collection and point Cross Jewelers in a new direction. She did know, however, about islands, red sand, and treasure, absolutely.
And no, in this story I will not name the Island. – R.H.P.
Treasure Hunting Before the Hurricane
Gold Doubloons… Sort of
You and two friends have arrived on the island in a rowboat with two short-handled shovels. You have a map. The tide is falling. You know this is ridiculous, but you follow the directions on the map and begin shoveling. The falling tide gives you less than an hour, and there’s a hurricane coming… rough seas. It’s the end of summer; in two days, you’ll all be going back to college; you’re moving fast.
Pirate Treasure? Absurd! But you’ve got the map. It’s easy digging, sandy soil. You’re 4-feet down, you hear a clunk. Five minutes later, you’ve raised the chest. You have a bolt cutter; the cover is opened. Gold. You can’t believe what you just found gold, gold, gold!
You reach for what looks most interesting; it’s a necklace and bracelet of what looks like gold doubloons. Your treasure mates are chatting with one another; you’re drifting in a dream. You can hear them talking as you focus on what you’ve pulled out. You can see there are earrings to match the bracelet and necklace. You know Sarah would love this. Your treasure mates are digging into the chest like a couple of kids. You ‘come to’ because you’re the captain. The boat and map are yours, you say, “guys the tide, we’ve been here for 45 minutes. We need to get this back to the boat.”
Here are the deeper details on this set. These are a treasure of 18k yellow gold jewelry: a matching necklace, pendant, bracelet, and earrings. They can be sold separately. The necklace is 18-karat yellow gold. It is 18-inches. The bracelet is 18 karat yellow gold; it’s 7-inches. Mark can imagine the look in Sarah’s eyes as he gives this these to her.
We found this collection in our archives from years ago. The collection is serious. If you have the necklace, bracelet, and earrings on, you will be noticed everywhere you go because of the design and how the pieces glow golden yellow wherever you go.
X4487…..Bracelet, 18K 7.5”……$2,050
X4484…..Pendant, 18K 18”……$1,050
X4486…..Earrings, 18K………….$1,285
X4485…..Necklace, 18k 24″…..$4,350
X4535…..Necklace, 18k 36”…..$4,550
The Good News
Yes, we are willing to sell pieces separately. Even though we found this collection in our jewelry archives, the good news is the shop that made this collection is still making jewelry. In 18K yellow gold, they are beautiful.
We were surprised. In our world today, a rediscovery of a fine old jewelry-making shop is a true gift. We really were surprised that the craftsmen were still around and still making this collection. There are never any absolute guarantees on continuity; we suggest if you’re interested, don’t wait!
Pirate Treasure
Dreams of Gold
Pirates dream of gold. Seven-year-old boys dream of gold too. My seven-year-old grandson came up with the plot and moved the figures into place. His Dad did the photography and did what his seven-year-old son told him to do. This is my grandson’s movie-making premiere.
As the grandfather, I thought it was brilliant and wrote him a check for $100. I’m interested in your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.
