Strings of beads were a common fashion accessory for women in the early to mid 20th century. They were usually made from glass beads but other natural item such as seeds or shells were also popular.This item is from the Raper Collection donated to the Wodonga Historical Society by Mrs. Jean Raper.A short necklace of 60 uniform sized beads or possibly shrub seeds. They are strung on thick twine with a metal catch. The catch has worn over time.decorative items, fashion accessory, women's jewellery

This kind of beads was commonly worn by women in the early to mid 20th century. This item is from the Raper Collection donated to the Wodonga Historical Society by Mrs. Jean Raper.A long string of mauve faceted beads. Faceted beads have many flattened edges done in such a way as to make them look like a cut gemstone.decorative items, women's jewellery, fashion accessory

This kind of beads was commonly worn by women in the early to mid 20th century. This string of beads belonged to Mrs Alice Yardy, mother of Mrs. Jean Raper. Mrs Yardy died on 2 Dec 1974 in Albury, New South Wales aged 84 years old.This item is from the Raper Collection donated to the Wodonga Historical Society by Mrs. Jean Raper.A short string of black beads of varied sizes. The beads are joined by metal hooks and has a hooked clasp.fashion accessory, decorative items, women's jewellery

This kind of beads was commonly worn by women in the early to mid 20th century. These strings of beads belonged to Mrs Alice Yardy, mother of Mrs. Jean Raper. Mrs Yardy died on 2 Dec 1974 in Albury, New South Wales aged 84 years old.2 strings of glass beads. Both necklaces have a metal clasp and are strung on a cord of thick cotton.decorative items, women's jewellery, fashion accessory

This kind of beads was commonly worn by women in the early to mid 20th century. This string of beads belonged to Mrs Alice Yardy, mother of Mrs. Jean Raper. Mrs Yardy died on 2 Dec 1974 in Albury, New South Wales aged 84 years old.This item is from the Raper Collection donated to the Wodonga Historical Society by Mrs. Jean Raper.A long string of yellow glass beads of graduated sizes strung on thick cotton thread.decorative items, women's jewellery

The gold cross was discovered by Victorian scuba diver Julie Wilkins, who had already experienced more than 500 dives in Australia and overseas. She was holidaying in Peterborough, Victoria, and looking forward to discovering more about the famous Loch Ard ship, wrecked in June 1878 at Mutton Bird Island. The fast Glasgow-built clipper ship was only five years old when the tragedy occurred. There were 54 people on board the vessel and only two survived Julie's holiday photograph of Boat Bay reminds her of her most memorable dive. Submerged in the calm, flat sea, she was carefully scanning around the remains of the old wreck when, to her amazement, a gold coin and a small gold cross suddenly came up towards her. She excitedly cupped them in her hands, then stowed the treasures safely in her wetsuit and continued her dive. She soon discovered a group of brass carriage clock parts and some bottles of champagne. It was a day full of surprises. The items were easily recognisable, without any build-up of encrustations or concretion. Julie secretly enjoyed her treasures for twenty-four years then packed them up for the early morning train trip to Warrnambool. After a short walk to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, her photograph was taken as she handed over her precious find. She told her story to a local newspaper reporter, lunched a café in town then took the late afternoon train home. Her generous donation is now part of a vast collection of Loch Ard shipwreck artefacts, including the gold watch and the Minton Majolica model peacock. The small decorative cross dates back to on or before 1878, when the Loch Ard had set sail. The loop and ring have been added, perhaps as a pendant, pocket watch accessory or similar purpose. It may have been worn for ‘good luck’ or a ‘blessing’ on the long journey to Australia, where ships had to carefully navigate the treacherous Bass’s Strait before arriving at their destination of Melbourne. Sadly, many met their fate on that short stretch of ocean aptly named the Shipwreck Coast. The cross is very recognisable even though it was exposed to the wrecking of the ship, its consequent movement, and the sea's turbulence. Its scratched, pitted and worn condition, and the damage near the loop, is part of its story. The red-brown-black discolouration is similar to that found on other gold coins, sometimes called the ‘corrosion phenomena’. Studies suggest the possible cause is contaminants in the minting process reacting to the coins’ environment. Three edges of the cross have slightly raised narrow ridges of gold which could have been cause by the gold being cast liquid gold into a mould.This gold cross pendant is significant as a symbol of Christianity, a sign of hope and safety, and a sample of the religious following on board the Loch Ard, although not everyone wears a cross for this reason. This cross is a sample of jewellery owned by people migrating to Australia in the late 19th century. The cross and the guinea recovered together from the wreck of the Loch Ard are made of gold and help interpret the financial status of some of those on board.Gold cross; yellow gold with decorative hand engraved foliage design on the front, fitted loop and ring on top. The simple Latin or Roman variation of the cross, with an elongated vertical arm, has no figure on it and the reverse has no decoration. The right, left and base edges have sections of narrow, long slightly raised ridges. The top edge has remnants of red-black colour. Victorian era cross, ca. 1878. The cross was recovered from the wreck of the ship Loch Ard.Engraved foliage design. Slightly raised long ridges on sides and base edges. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, gold cross, religious cross, religious trinket, religious jewellery, engraved cross, cross pendant, cross with ring, victorian era, 1878, antique cross, crucifix, religious symbol, christian symbol, christian jewellery, contamination phenomena, gold corrosion, good luck, lucky charm, blessing, pendant, loch ard, wreck of the loch ard, mutton bird island, peterborough, scuba diver, 1980s, shipwreck artefact, relic, latin cross, roman cross, pectoral cross, julie wilkins

This brooch is small and tasteful and the ‘forget-me -not’ wording in the centre probably indicates that it was given by someone to a loved one as a token of love or friendship. It was most likely pinned to the collar of a blouse at the neckline or to a jacket lapel. This brooch has no known local provenance but is retained as a fine example of an early 20th century piece of jewellery and for display purposesThis is a rectangular-shaped gold brooch with a blue plate with gold lettering in the inner section and ornamental gold scrolls around the outer section. The back of the brooch has a metal clasp.For Get-Me Notwomen’s, vintage jewellery, warrnambool

Gold chain and medallion purchased by the donor from Myer Melbourne in the late 1960s with a Norma Tullo woollen long-sleeve mini-dress.Ornate medallion featuring a profile of a woman surrounded by ornate scroll work. The medallion is fixed to a double chain. Before it was assembled, the medallion could be used as a broochnorma tullo, costume jewellery, fashion & design - 1960s, accessories

Short strand of single size pink faux pearls joined by a white metal clasp.costume jewellery, necklaces

Gilt, silver and pearl multi-strand necklace, often worn with the gold caftan, previously donated by Dione McIntyre to the Society.neclaces, costume jewellery, dione mcintyre