Niagara Falls Satinspar Sphere & Gold Stick Pin with Stanhope Viewer

This figural sphere charm stick pin holds a stanhope peep in its center and is made of satin spar. Satin spar is a mineral that was locally found and collected in the Niagara falls region. During the late 1800s and through the early 1900s charms, brooches, hat pins, and watch fobs were made from this material and could be purchased as souvenirs. Satin or feldspar is a relative of selenite and gypsum and is often wrongly described as white tiger eye. It is also know as "fiber optic stone". Most of the souvenirs from Niagara Falls are in the form of a barrel rather then a sphere. Most are pendants or fobs and this stick pin is far less common. This sphere charm measures 3/8" round and the gold stick pin is 2 3/16" long. A peep inside this sphere charm reveals four separate views of Niagara Falls. The view is titled SOUVENIR of NIAGARA FALLS and is bold and clear making it easy to see and read. The four views are individually titled

     Horseshoe Falls
     American Falls
     Prospect Point
     Whirlpool Rapids