Antique German Cloud- is it polished?

[SequoiaBET]

Do the clear windows at the pontils (pic 1 & 6) mean it may be polished? And would it be considered a 4 panel cloud?

It has some very light Mica and is 7/8 inches.

[I'llhavethat1]

Looks good from here. Although it could be argued to be a paneled onionskin

[SequoiaBET]

59 minutes ago, I'llhavethat1 said:

Looks good from here. Although it could be argued to be a paneled onionskin

Thanks! I'm glad it's not polished. Some of my handmades have such rough pontils and others are very nicely melted down. I wasn't sure it that was a sign of polishing or just a difference in craftsmanship from the original maker. I was also wondering if maybe the higher quality ones were a little older. I've heard that in latter years they were cranked out at a faster pace to try to keep up with increasing demand for them, thus lowering quality.

I'm working on learning the difference between onionskin, clouds, and Joseph's coats. With some marbles it is clear, while others seem to blur the lines between categories. (For me, at least.) I need to see if I can find some more discussion on antique Germans on this site or AMM. Any links with more info would be welcome!

[I'llhavethat1]

The oldest Germans typically are believed to be ground/faceted pontils.  Some are done so well = barely visible.  

It's always wise to closely inspect in hand with a loupe if possible.  You can only tell so much from a picture on a screen.

But yes there is a lot to learn, and a lot of different opinions when it comes to names/definitions so I take most with a grain of salt

[akroorka]

I would love to see @Chad G. opinions here.

I think that it has been "buffed" at the very least.

Nice marble--Great images---

Marble--On!!

[Chad G.]

"Maybe" a light hand buffing at the most if at all. I can see remnants of what appears to be faceting in the first picture and the other end was often torched so well you couldn't see the pontil marks, even the pigtail would be melted to oblivion. Definitely an in hand determination for me to make any finals. The open holes in the ends of the marble don't necessarily mean polished, I have many cane made Germans like this that have never been touched. there is zero evidence of polishing compound so I'm gonna "Guess" not touched. Even w the damage still a nice marble.

 

These all have as made openings to the interior, more did than didn't, especially the bigger ones.