Editing Thimble (section)

===Pre-17th century===

As the purpose of a thimble is to prevent discomfort while sewing by providing a barrier between fingertips and the blunt end of a needle, it is likely that the earliest thimbles were created closely following the invention of sewing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hill |first1=E. |date=1995 |title=Thimbles and Thimble Rings from the Circum-Caribbean Region, 1500-1800: Chronology and Identification |journal=Historical Archaeology |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=84–92 |doi= 10.1007/BF03374210|jstor=25616355 |s2cid=163977710 }}</ref>

According to the United Kingdom Detector Finds Database,<ref name="ukdfd.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/thimble.html|title=Thimbles - ukdfd|website=www.ukdfd.co.uk|access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref> thimbles dating to the 10th century have been found in England, and thimbles were in widespread use there by the 14th century.

Although there are isolated examples of thimbles made of precious metals—[[Elizabeth I]] is said to have given one of her ladies-in-waiting a thimble set with precious stones—the vast majority of metal thimbles were made of [[brass]]. Medieval thimbles were either cast brass or made from hammered sheet. Early centers of thimble production were those places known for brass-working, starting with Nuremberg in the 15th century, and moving to Holland by the 17th.

{{Gallery
|align=center
|File:Early cylinder.jpg|A very early hand-dimpled soldered cylinder thimble.
|File:14c Nurnberg thimble.jpg|Cast 14th century thimble.
|File:I4c brass Nurnberg thimble.jpg|Deep drawn Nürnberg thimble. 16th century.
}}