16th and 17th century ‘keepsake’ thimbles

There have always been two major types of thimbles; plain working thimbles and highly decorated ‘keepsake’ thimbles, the latter often made from precious materials.  In the 17c porcelain was regarded as a very precious material and many ‘keepsake’ thimbles were made from hard and soft paste porcelain.  The zenith of ‘keepsake’ thimble making was from the late 16c to the end of the 17c in Europe.  This short collection of papers describes early silver thimbles from Nürnberg, porcelain ‘keepsake’ thimbles, and early English silver thimbles and their marks.