{"product_id":"soda-lime-swirl-mudlarked-marble-pendant","title":"Soda Lime Swirl Mudlarked Marble Pendant","description":"\u003cdiv\u003eHistorical Information\u003cbr\u003e\nType: Handmade Swirl Marble\u003cbr\u003e\nMaterial: Amber-Brown Soda-Lime Glass with White Ribbon Swirl\u003cbr\u003e\nDate: c. 1880-1910\u003cbr\u003e\nFind Location: Thames Estuary, Essex, UK\u003cbr\u003e\nExtra Information:\u003cbr\u003e\nThis marble is a handmade German swirl marble, characterised by its warm amber-brown glass and a single white ribbon of colour that twists irregularly through its core. Marbles of this type were produced in the glassmaking town of Lauscha, in the Thuringia region of Germany, which was the centre of European marble production during the late 19th and early 20th centurles.\u003cbr\u003e\nHandmade marbles were shaped by gathering molten glass on the end of a rod and forming it into a sphere before snapping it free, leaving a distinctive pontil scar. The roughened circular mark visible on this example confirms its handmade origin. The absence of mould seams and the organio, asymmetrical swirl pattern further distinguish it from later machine-made marbles.\u003cbr\u003e\nGerman swirl marbles were exported to Britain in vast quantitles and became everyday playthings for Victorian and Edwardian children.\u003cbr\u003e\nMany were lost in yards, streets, docksides, and riverbanks, eventually finding their way into waterways and estuarine mud. The soft, pitted wear on this plece reflects decades of tidal movement and natural abrasion within the Thames Estuary.\u003cbr\u003e\nNow reimagined as a pendant, this once-simple children's toy carries with it over a century of history - a small, beautifully worn survivor of everyday life in the late Victorian and early 20th-century world.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"History Unearthed","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58185212723583,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1024\/7929\/8943\/files\/img_0912-standard.jpg?v=1786792185","url":"https:\/\/shop.historyunearthed.uk\/products\/soda-lime-swirl-mudlarked-marble-pendant","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}