Thimbles were once given by young men or boys to young women or girls to display their affection and feelings for them without proposing serious commitment or marriage. Thimbles could be regarded as toys or novelties. Deborah was first given thimbles by her grandmother. Later on when she was stationed in Korea, she started to receive thimbles as gifts from people because she expressed to them that she didnt have much room and was living in a small apartment. She now owns over 350 thimbles in her collection. Her oldest thimble is from medieval times; her second oldest dates back to 1720. Deborah takes great pride in her collection and claims that she is just a beginner in comparison to other thimble collectors. It appeared that she had a story for each thimble. She feels that the history of thimbles helps one feel what womens role in society was for the last three centuries.
I was unfamiliar with the expansive history of thimbles. It is fascinating that this folk object was used for more than protecting ones fingers while sewing. Jewelry when given to a woman by a man was believed to be a serious commitment; when men wanted to demonstrate interest in a woman, but not make such a commitment, thimbles became the perfect alternative because at the time every woman would have known how to sew and would have done so regularly.
Annotations
The idea of thimbles as a folk object and novelty is documented in The Story of the Thimble, along with a history of the thimble.
McConnel, Bridget. (1997). The Story of the Thimble. Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing