This wristwatch hand is an artifact of the historic Radium Girls of the 1920s–30s. 

The Radium Girls were women hired by watch companies to paint dials with a radium-based glowing paint. This  was to provide glow in the dark functionality, but the workers became ill from radiation exposure and some even died because of it.

Management at these companies knew the dangers involved and even avoided radium exposure to themselves; however, this information was withheld from the dial painters who were required to use their mouths to bring the paintbrush to a fine point for the tiny parts.

Although it was a preventable tragedy, the Radium Girls’ saga led to significant improvements in labor rights and also helped establish legal precedents and labor safety standards in the US which has undoubtably saved many lives.

Radiation measurements from dial painters’ bodies were even used to establish the tolerance level for radium and provided scientific observations throughout their lives. We now have a thorough documentation of the long-term effects of exposure to various radium isotopes for medical reference.

This listing is for one radium watch hand in a gem jar.