A Quick Look at Jewelry Hallmarks
By David
Foard
Editor's Summary: This is as the title promises, a quick look
at jewelry hallmarks but provides a lot of information. Learn some
useful information that will help you become a wiser, smarter antique
jewelry buyer.
British Hallmarks are the best in the world.
Who says so, the rest of the World. Although to be fair, other
countries have great hallmarks too, it is just that they are NOT
so often seen.
A book on World Hallmarks for Gold or Silver items is a must for
any serious collector or dealer, but they can be a little intimidating
and time consuming. Is that mark a Cockerel or a Tree? Could it
be made in Switzerland or Germany?
Thankfully for the rest of us, a small pocket book on UK Hallmarks
is more than up to the task, coupled with that very useful plastic
10X eyeglass I keep on hinting for you to buy.
It will show you that the item has been tested and stamped, to
prove it is - what it says it is (9ct or 18ct etc).
British Jewelry with a full UKHM (United Kingdom Hall Mark) is
generally clearly stamped and readable after you clean it (check
the website below for another complimentary article on 'How to Clean
your Jewelry at Home').
Once you are aware of the marks, you will always feel just that
little bit better when you buy that 'Could it be an Antique?' item
at the local market, or from the guy in the Pub that everyone talks
about but nobody knows.
Buyer Beware....
*Five marks on British Jewelry.*
Yes... Five?
# 1: The Maker's Mark (Usually some initials). Not all that important
for everyday items, unless you want to collect Jewelry from one
maker. Silver collectors may want to buy items from say, Bateman
(I should be so lucky).
# 2: The second stamp is the Assay Office mark or 'Mark of Origin'.
It tells you where the item came from. The most common is the LONDON
Hallmark. A Leopard's Head. Sometimes this has a crown on the Leopard's
Head (until circa 1821). Modern items do NOT have a crown on the
Leopard Stamp.
The other most common Assay Office marks are from Birmingham (an
Anchor). Once there were many Assay offices around Great Britain
and Ireland, the Chester mark for instance. Now there are just three
offices left in England, Sheffield being the last using a 'Rose'
on gold Jewelry (DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH 'ROSE GOLD' JEWELRY) as
that is a color, not a mark.
In Scotland there is Edinburgh, while in Ireland there is Dublin.
Pity the poor Welsh are left out again!
# 3: The next is the Assay Quality mark and is shown as the 'Lion
Passant' (which means 'looking ahead') and is a guarantee of quality.
This was later changed to a 'CROWN' mark with a stamp showing the
quality of Gold.... 9ct or 18ct etc.
# 4: Finally, and possibly the most important mark, was the Date
letter mark. It changed each year so we can tell when the item was
made.
Occasionally there is an extra mark.
# 5: An example was the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.
Suffice to say if you see a Brooch with four or five marks and
one of them is an Anchor with an 18 next to it and a letter 'C'
next to that.... It's a safe bet it was made in Birmingham in 1927,
or was that 1952, or 1902, or, or, or.....
Buyer Beware the man in the Pub.
As with most Jewelry items though, our advise has always been to
buy the best QUALITY you can afford from a reputable dealer who
will guarantee it.
Other than that, your plastic 10X eyeglass sure helps a lot....
David Foard is retired ("Ha..." he laughs). He is working harder
now than at any time in his life, especially over the 30 years he
spent in the Antique Jewelry Trade as a qualified gemologist and
member of the Valuers Council. Now he concentrates on the three
'R's of 'Reading' Ritin' and re-ritin articles, courses and producing
free reports and information at his website.
Get all the info now by going to http://www.online-jewelry-appraisals.com
and follow the links at the Online Jewelry Appraisal Center.
gemmo1@jewellery-antiques.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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