Gem "Standard" Carbon Hearing Aid
The Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid was manufactured by The Gem
Ear Phone Co. of New York, NY around 1930.
It was a pretty basic unit just consisting of a microphone and an
earphone connected by a single cord.
This hearing aid was quite heavy for its size, weighing 13.6 oz. with
the battery (6.1 oz. without the battery).
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Front view of the microphone of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid.
The microphone grill consisted of many small holes. The microphone was 2½" in diameter and 1½" thick. Around the rim of the microphone are the words "Gem Ear Phone Co.,
N.Y." and "Pat Appl'd For" (Patent Applied For). |
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The front of the microphone of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid was surrounded by a donut-shaped
"Sound Perfector". This "Sound Perfector" acted like a shield to make
this microphone more directional from the front, and thus would seem to
enhance the sound of the person you were talking to.
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Rear view of the microphone of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid
showing the fiber volume control (black thumb wheel in center). Notice the
small hole at the 11 o'clock position showing the volume level (2 in
this case). Volume ranged from 1 to 9. At the top of the volume
control is a hole for threading a cord through so you could hang the
microphone around your neck if so desired.
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Side view of the microphone of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid showing the raised black fiber volume control
wheel. It had a serrated edge for ease of turning.
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View of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid microphone (left)
and battery (right).
The pins are of slightly different size so you could only plug them
together the right way
ensuring the correct polarity. This hearing aid used a
Gem 1A 3-volt battery (right). The microphone plugged directly onto
the battery.
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Side view of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid. Notice that the prongs on the battery are set near the
back instead of the center as was more common. This provided better
stability for the hearing aid since the microphone was "front heavy".
It also provided for a sleeker-looking hearing aid.
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Front view of the earphone for the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid.
The earphone measured 2 1/16" in diameter by ⅝" thick.
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The earphone was held in place by a headband the snapped into two small
holes in the sides of the earphone.
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Rear view of the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid earphone showing the
on-off switch on the side (top) with the "On" and "Off" positions shown on the
back.
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The Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid in its carrying case.
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The original case for the Gem "Standard" carbon hearing aid was finished
in black leatherette. The top of the case reads "The Gem Earphone Co.,
New York". The case measured 7½" by 3⅜" by 2¾"
high.
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