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Q & AM.A.
from Smith Falls, Ontario writes: Most large walnut trees were wiped out by a disease by about 1740 on the other side of the Atlantic, leaving the preference to mahogany for fine work. The silver-work looks rather primitive, but it may have been designed to appear unsophisticated both in workmanship and decorative style. It seems as if the ornament is pinned to the wood beneath it. This, however, is no easy matter because the pins look as if they too are of silver. Since it would be futile to try inserting a silver pin into a fine hardwood like walnut, the conclusion is that all the attachments required a process of pre-drilling. Difficult. If the object is spherical the North/South diameter should equal the East/West. This is almost never the case because wood always shrinks across the grain. If, then the measure of the diameter (N/S) is with the grain, the measure East/West (Across) will be shorter if the piece of wood is old (and the silver should be looser). If this object is, as reported, as big as a five-pin ball, I think it must be an Orb. The style of ornament does not strike me as European either, and the workmanship suggests that the tools employed were comparatively crude. One wonders, also, what kind of lathe could there have been to produce a wooden orb before 1740? My guess--and it is a guess - is that the origin of the orb is Mediterranean, the decoration and smithing Arabic in origin or influence, the workmanship looks almost mediaeval. There is no doubt about the symbolic decoration: it belongs to the ORDER of Saint John. I wore that cross on my blazer for many years when I was a schoolboy. My "House" was Saint John's..... an order of Knights, rather like the Templars, based in Malta in a Commanderia. I think this is a ceremonial Orb of that order, best known now for its Ambulance Brigade. The holder would be the commanding Knight-his symbol of authority. Not knowing how the City of Saint John came by its name, I am not sure whether there is a direct association with the Order. If there is, and I am right, it would very much affect the value of the object. The
orb is of course an object commonly suggestive of rank or status. My previous
comments as to the Maltese Cross incline me to think that it is emblematic
of high rank, Interesting though it is, your enquirer should realize that we are doing what we should not properly be doing, that is trying to form a judgment on the basis of a photograph. I urge again that a valid assessment requires a physical and in this case, perhaps a scientific examination, because it seems to me well worth it. Further information might be obtained from:
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strike
me: If, as reported, the wood is walnut, it is European/North African,
close grained and, I would guess, heavy. I cannot see any sign of the
sap-wood, so the likelihood is that the wood came from a large tree. 
possibly military rank. As the Order of Saint John was a military order,
I conclude that the orb belongs to that order. I am hesitant to suggest
a date earlier than the 17th century because I know little about wood-turning;
the silver-work, however, does not appear to be later than 1675, and might
indeed be much earlier. We need to date the wood: an assay on the silver
would be helpful It is the only way to determine its quality: i.e. what
proportion is pure silver, and what other metal(s) are present in what
proportion. That would be a critical clue as to its origin. 
