To carve out dials quaintly, point by point, Thereby to see the minutes how they run: How many make the hour full complete, How many hours bring about the day, How many days will finish up the year...
— Henry VI Part 3 Act 2 Scene 5
Some products are a long time in development and so, 18 months after we had the idea and almost a year to the day since we signed off the initial sketches, we're delighted that our pocket dial jewellery finally goes on sale this week at Shakespeare's New Place.
The polished brass pocket dial pendant and brass pocket dial bangle are inspired by a pocket dial in the Trust's collection dating to around 1600. Dials such as this were regarded as luxury items and would have been worn to be seen. Also known as ring or 'pendent' dials, they were often worn suspended around the neck.
Reproduced in solid brass using the lost wax process, our decorative pieces don't tell the time but we hope they retain the original's sense of luxury and style. We have made a virtue of the original features, adapting the fixings and the slide hole into an ingenious hinge and clasp for the bangle. The pendant is modelled to actual size and we have even reproduced the accession number engraved on the inside of the dial (SBT 1870 - 1).
You can read more about the pocket dials in our collection in Shakespeare and the Stuff of Life and in a post on our Finding Shakespeare blog. You can even see the real thing on display in the exhibition at Shakespeare's New Place!
Bangle and pendant are both available to buy exclusively from Shakespeare's New Place and our online shop.