Question: How were "jewelled" end caps made?

[JoeW]

Been bothering me for awhile. How were those billions of so-called "jewels" for endcaps made? Or obtained? Were they actually "agate" like many were advertised? I mean agate- the naturally occurring stone? Or were they synthetically made agate? Or were they actually just colored glass? Was each one hand cut/machined, or were they molded, or maybe put through a milling/grinding machine? Are they valuable- should I be pulling the jewels out of all the caps I find and keep them in the bank vault? LOL- let's see... 10 questions in one post. Not bad! I'm serious though about the question, though! Thanks for the help in advance! Best---- Joe Walkowski (WNYTC ORCA)

[Ron Mc]

I would guess some of each. Certainly the blue-eyed inexpensive Shakespeare Leader was glass.

higher-grade reels were probably natural stone

I don't know if synthetic agate existed prewar, but was used on a lot of rods postwar


since agate is volcanic quartz, might be possible to argue all glass is synthetic agate


here's a 1916 reference to agate bearings in reels

Meek bearings were referred to as Jeweled - possibly a harder minor gemstone stone than agate - though it would have to be low-grade ruby to be red and still harder than quartz
...and without question, the blue Leader bearing wasn't sapphire
https://www.gemrockauctions.com/learn/t ... -gemstones


checked again, agate Mohs hardness is 7, glass Mohs hardness is 5.5

[JoeW]

Thank you, Ron! Hadn't thought of that! And yea, I think garnet is a pretty cheap semi-precious stone that could have been used for the red ones. Heck, I was picking up garnets in the driveway gravel at a fishing camp I once stayed at. Was told they weren't "gem quality", just sandpaper grade. Agate's pretty cheap, too. Answers what they were made of.
Now how were they shaped? Couldn't have been one-at-a-time by hand. Must have been some kind of machines that cut, ground, and polished them? They must have something like that to make those bags of glass beads you can get at a hobby store!
And last thought- I've found quite a few endcaps with the "jewel" broken or missing. Anyone ever try to replace just the jewel?

Thanks for the answers, Ron. Pretty minor things, but some things I've always wondered about. Best----- Joe Walkowski (WNYTC ORCA)

[Paul M]

There is a somewhat related video at this link, describing the processes to make and shape bearing jewels... at least for use in watches. Don’t try this at home!

https://elginnationalwatches.com/elgin-jewel-bearings/

[RonG]

Hey Paul,

I really enjoyed the video. Now I understand why Talbot charged extra for the sapphire jeweled bearings on their reels back in the early 1900's. Wow, it was a complicated process for such a tiny thing.

[Ron Mc]

Sapphire - there we go - I was hoping Mr. Gast would play.

[JoeW]

Wow! Lots more info than I had expected! You guys are thorough! I also did a little looking on my own about the first discovery of synthetic gemstones, and with what has been compiled here, I came up with the following summary. Correct me if I jumped to any wrong conclusions:

It would seem that all jeweled end caps for reels would have been made from synthetic or lab-created stones- primarily ruby and blue sapphire. These two are basically the same stone but with a different pigment added. These are the easiest to create (the sapphire being a little more difficult) and thus would explain their dominance on reels. And, since rubies and sapphires have a hardness of 9 on the MOHS scale, they are extremely durable and long lasting- second only in hardness to diamonds! (Agate, by the way, has a hardness of only 7, and Garnet less than that, which makes them minimally acceptable wherever wear is a consideration) Since early work on synthetic gems had begun in the 1850’s and practical methods were in operation by the late 1880’s, they would have been available for use on reels by the early 1900’s.

After watching the vid on making the synthetic gems, it’s obvious the methods were very labor intensive, even by WWII! What kept the cost low enough so they could be used in watches, and even fishing reels? Well, once industry sees a need for a product, they can streamline, modernize, create, and constantly improve the method to make it more efficient. Obviously, the specifications and tolerances could be lower, and inspections could be cut to a minimum for these non-critical uses. Coupled with mass-production methods and the low wages at that time, the result had to be an affordable product! (** See note at end)

I thought I was asking a simple question and was expecting a simple answer- like “they’re mined out of magical mountains by magical little Dwarves with cute little names who sing “Hi Ho, Hi Ho...” and delivered at night to reel makers by a young lady in a prom gown.” What I got were lessons in gemology and technology! But I now have a new appreciation for those end caps, and will no longer wrinkle up my brow when I see an old ad for them being “jeweled”!

Thanks to Ron Mc, Paul M, and Ron G for all the input! I hope everyone that followed this thread enjoyed the trip! Best---- Joe Walkowski (WNYTC ORCA)


** A personal speculation: In the film, I saw an abundance of women doing the tedious hand-labor steps. Did it help lower the cost of the bearings by using women in their manufacture because women traditionally were paid a fraction of what men would have to have been paid? Similar to women being used in the wooden lure making industry also?

[Midway Tommy D]

** A personal speculation: In the film, I saw an abundance of women doing the tedious hand-labor steps. Did it help lower the cost of the bearings by using women in their manufacture because women traditionally were paid a fraction of what men would have to have been paid? Similar to women being used in the wooden lure making industry also?

Come on, Joe, give a little credit where credit is due. Women have nice petite hands and fingers which would be much more conducive to handling those precious little gems. Plus, women have much better patience dealing with such intricate details. IMHO, they would clearly be the gender of choice regardless of pay scale.

[wrong99]

Wow! Lots more info than I had expected! You guys are thorough! I also did a little looking on my own about the first discovery of synthetic gemstones, and with what has been compiled here, I came up with the following summary. Correct me if I jumped to any wrong conclusions:

It would seem that all jeweled end caps for reels would have been made from synthetic or lab-created stones- primarily ruby and blue sapphire. These two are basically the same stone but with a different pigment added. These are the easiest to create (the sapphire being a little more difficult) and thus would explain their dominance on reels. And, since rubies and sapphires have a hardness of 9 on the MOHS scale, they are extremely durable and long lasting- second only in hardness to diamonds! (Agate, by the way, has a hardness of only 7, and Garnet less than that, which makes them minimally acceptable wherever wear is a consideration) Since early work on synthetic gems had begun in the 1850’s and practical methods were in operation by the late 1880’s, they would have been available for use on reels by the early 1900’s.

After watching the vid on making the synthetic gems, it’s obvious the methods were very labor intensive, even by WWII! What kept the cost low enough so they could be used in watches, and even fishing reels? Well, once industry sees a need for a product, they can streamline, modernize, create, and constantly improve the method to make it more efficient. Obviously, the specifications and tolerances could be lower, and inspections could be cut to a minimum for these non-critical uses. Coupled with mass-production methods and the low wages at that time, the result had to be an affordable product! (** See note at end)

I thought I was asking a simple question and was expecting a simple answer- like “they’re mined out of magical mountains by magical little Dwarves with cute little names who sing “Hi Ho, Hi Ho...” and delivered at night to reel makers by a young lady in a prom gown.” What I got were lessons in gemology and technology! But I now have a new appreciation for those end caps, and will no longer wrinkle up my brow when I see an old ad for them being “jeweled”!

Thanks to Ron Mc, Paul M, and Ron G for all the input! I hope everyone that followed this thread enjoyed the trip! Best---- Joe Walkowski (WNYTC ORCA)


** A personal speculation: In the film, I saw an abundance of women doing the tedious hand-labor steps. Did it help lower the cost of the bearings by using women in their manufacture because women traditionally were paid a fraction of what men would have to have been paid? Similar to women being used in the wooden lure making industry also?

Or the use of women for rod wrapping by production rod makers. James Heddon's Sons comes to mind. Though certainly not paid anywhere near what men were making, it did allow them to do "piece-work" in their homes. They could make money and still be able to raise their kids, etc. Again, small hands for the delicate operations. They were good!

[JoeW]

Oh I agree with you guys completely, although some may see it as a bit of stereotyping. Praise to the ladies for all that makes them ladies! I didn't mean to imply that lower wages were the only reason for hiring the ladies and that in many things they are more skilled and able. But I'm sure that when thinking cost-cutting, the fact that women could be hired more cheaply was at least a bonus. All I was asking was if it helped cut the costs, and it sure must have. IMHO only. Hey, have fun gentlemen. Best----- Joe Walkowski (WNYTC ORCA)

[Steve]

FYI: "In 1898, Montague employed only seven males and seven females at its Brooklyn plant, but a year later, it employed twenty males and fifteen females at 163-167 Grand Ave."

[Alan Baracco]

San Francisco Call Newspaper, Sunday, March 20, 1910