Coffin Black
The Coffin Black, sometimes called the Coffin Pearl (though it is not a pearl at all), is a peculiar and mystifying gemstone that has been in the possession of the Coffin family since it was first discovered by Tristram Coffyn (c. 1609 - 1681) at his estate in Devonshire on Easter morning, April 20, 1642. Handed down from generation to generation, it is kept at Coffinhurst, within a secure secret vault, the exact location of which is known only to the head of the Coffin family.
The jewel is perfectly spherical in shape, about the size of a large grape and black as pitch, with a smooth iridescent surface in the nature of a fine pearl. On certain occasions, the specific nature and circumstances of which are not yet fully understood, it has been observed to glow or radiate a purple light from deep within its core, often revealing unseen things, secret knowledge or hidden information that is otherwise imperceptible to ordinary human senses.
Many in the Coffin family, knowing the history of the Coffin Black, believe the thing to be somehow sentient, indeed supernatural, and the source of the family’s wealth, power and influence over the centuries. During that time, members of the family have gone to great lengths, and taken extraordinary measures, to secure their possession of the jewel, and to safeguard their control over its powers.
Curious, he dressed quickly and went outside to see what had caused the commotion and its eerie aftermath. What he found was a large hole in the ground, nearly a yard deep and over five feet across, with the earth thrown up around it forming a circular wall about waist-high, and a small round stone, smoldering blue-red, embedded in its center. Despite his extensive education, Tristram was bewildered by the scene, as the nature and cause of impact craters would not be understood by scientists for another two hundred years.
Unsure whether he beheld fact or fantasy, Tristram hesitated for several minutes. Eventually, the small stone at the center of the pit appeared to cool, its amaranthine glow giving way to a shimmering jet-black shine. Cautiously, and with much trepidation, he approached the strange stone, seemingly drawn to it by some external impulse. Reaching down, he hesitated once again, gripped by a terror he could not explain, yet still pulled toward the peculiar object lying in the dirt before him.
He took the small stone into his hand. It was unexpectedly heavy and colder than ice, but as he held it in his palm it became very warm and began to shine with an indigo luminescence the likes of which he had never before seen. Tristram wrapped the strange stone in a handkerchief, placed it in the pocket of his doublet, and returned to the house, mentioning nothing to anyone about the uncanny jewel he had discovered in the strange pit that had mysteriously appeared on his property overnight.
The jewel is perfectly spherical in shape, about the size of a large grape and black as pitch, with a smooth iridescent surface in the nature of a fine pearl. On certain occasions, the specific nature and circumstances of which are not yet fully understood, it has been observed to glow or radiate a purple light from deep within its core, often revealing unseen things, secret knowledge or hidden information that is otherwise imperceptible to ordinary human senses.
Many in the Coffin family, knowing the history of the Coffin Black, believe the thing to be somehow sentient, indeed supernatural, and the source of the family’s wealth, power and influence over the centuries. During that time, members of the family have gone to great lengths, and taken extraordinary measures, to secure their possession of the jewel, and to safeguard their control over its powers.
Discovery
The discovery of the Coffin Black, though well documented, is cloaked in a shroud of mystery. Tristram Coffyn, first owner of the gem, recorded the moment in his journal. Therein, he describes his abrupt awakening in the early hours of Easter morning by an extraordinary thunderclap, followed by the roar of a rushing wind and a deafening report as of a canon. Aroused from his sound sleep, he saw a strange lucency shining through the window of his bedchamber.Curious, he dressed quickly and went outside to see what had caused the commotion and its eerie aftermath. What he found was a large hole in the ground, nearly a yard deep and over five feet across, with the earth thrown up around it forming a circular wall about waist-high, and a small round stone, smoldering blue-red, embedded in its center. Despite his extensive education, Tristram was bewildered by the scene, as the nature and cause of impact craters would not be understood by scientists for another two hundred years.
Unsure whether he beheld fact or fantasy, Tristram hesitated for several minutes. Eventually, the small stone at the center of the pit appeared to cool, its amaranthine glow giving way to a shimmering jet-black shine. Cautiously, and with much trepidation, he approached the strange stone, seemingly drawn to it by some external impulse. Reaching down, he hesitated once again, gripped by a terror he could not explain, yet still pulled toward the peculiar object lying in the dirt before him.
He took the small stone into his hand. It was unexpectedly heavy and colder than ice, but as he held it in his palm it became very warm and began to shine with an indigo luminescence the likes of which he had never before seen. Tristram wrapped the strange stone in a handkerchief, placed it in the pocket of his doublet, and returned to the house, mentioning nothing to anyone about the uncanny jewel he had discovered in the strange pit that had mysteriously appeared on his property overnight.
History
Tristram Coffyn took the events of that Easter morning to be a heavenly omen, but he struggled to understand its meaning. Day in and day out, the otherworldly black stone was never far from his thoughts. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he began to feel it was trying to influence him – to tell him something – but exactly what he could not discern.By the end of the summer, though, with the outbreak of the English Civil War, the death of his younger brother John during the battle of Plymouth Fort, and a roundhead attack upon Brixton Manor, Tristram’s mind was made up – the omen was a warning to leave England for the New World. He wasted no time in heeding the message of the celestial sign, setting sail for New England aboard the Hector with his family, and arriving in Boston before Christmas.
Having escaped the violence of civil war and safely reached the shores of America with his large family of nine women and children, Tristram Coffyn attributed their survival and wellbeing to the influence of his omen-stone, believing it brought him luck and good fortune. He took up the habit of carrying the stone on his person in a small leather pouch tied to his belt.
He carried it with him in 1659, when he and three others set sail in an open shallop, bound for Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard to meet with Thomas Mayhew for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of Nantucket Island. The good luck charm was with Tristram again in 1661 when he moved his entire family from Newbury, Massachusetts to their new home on Nantucket, to escape the threat of King Phillip's War.
Tristram gave the dark gem to his eldest son Peter (1630 - 1715) when he quit Nantucket for New Hampshire in 1663. Like his father, Peter came to believe the tiny stone possessed protective powers, and carried it with him on all of his subsequent sea voyages. Over time, the talisman became associated with safe passage when traveling, above all else.
Like his father, Peter Coffin passed the jewel to his son, Peter Jr. (1660 - 1699), from whom it was eventually inherited by his youngest son Barnabas (1690 - c. 1740). Each of them, in their turn, took great pains to maintain their possession of the object, as over time it insinuated itself into their psyches, becoming with each new generation an object of unnatural affection, even pride, to the point of obsession.
Barnabas Coffin had the gem incorporated into a spectacular necklace of Tahitian black pearls, which he gave as a wedding present to his new bride Phebe Tupper in 1722. It was at that time that the stone was first referred to as the "Coffin Black." The necklace was often worn by ladies of the Coffin household throughout the eighteenth century. However, by the end of the century, although the stunning string of flawless black pearls remained as a family heirloom, the Coffin Black was no longer appended to it.
After the death of his mother, Sarah (Gaunt) Coffin (1728 - 1782), Nathaniel Coffin (1755 - 1826) had the stone mounted on a rather large gold ring, which he commonly wore on his left index finger. Nathaniel gave the ring to his son Samuel (1783 - 1845) as a wedding present in 1812, and he was also commonly seen wearing it throughout his life. By this time, the Coffin Black had become a physical symbol of the patriarchy of the family.
The Coffin Black was presumed lost in 1872, when Charles O. Coffin Sr. (1817 - 1872) disappeared while wearing the jewel on a voyage aboard the Marie Céleste. However, through an extraordinary series of coincidences, the family was able to re-purchase the stone, which had been removed from its setting, from a shady third party in 1887. Ironically, the seller was robbed of the purchase price and murdered on the same night the transaction took place.
In 1910, Charles O. Coffin Jr. (1851 – 1917) commissioned the Boston firm of Shreve, Crump & Low to re-set the Coffin Black in a new ring, which he presented to his son, Edwin C. Coffin (1878 – 1931) to honor his fifth wedding anniversary in 1915. In 1923, the heirloom Tahitian pearl necklace, with an exquisitely crafted replica of the Coffin Black appended to it, was loaned to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. for inclusion in a special exhibition entitled “Colonial Jewels and Gems,” held at the National Museum of Natural History from September 24, 1923 through February 4, 1924.
The Coffin Black was last seen in public on January 20, 1949, when the ring was worn by Barnaby Coffin (1907 - 1953) as he and his wife Evelyn attended President Harry S. Truman's Inaugural Ball at the National Guard Armory in Washington. Upon Barnaby's tragic death in 1953, the ring is believed to have passed into the physical possession of his widow, although ownership is apparently retained by the Coffin Family Trust.
Coffin Black
FAMILY JEWEL
Phebe (Tupper) Coffin (1701-1763)
wearing the Coffin Black c. 1725
Portrait by Nehemiah Partridge
wearing the Coffin Black c. 1725
Portrait by Nehemiah Partridge
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size
18.35 mm
Weight
72.93 carats
(14.586 g)
Color
Pure Black
Discovered
April 20, 1642
Brixton Manor
Devonshire, England
Original Owner
Tristram Coffyn
Current Owner
Coffin Trust
Est. Value
$55,000
The Coffin Black
Set in a Gold Ring by Shreve, Crump & Low
Set in a Gold Ring by Shreve, Crump & Low
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