Hallmarks - the Emojis of metals. - post 269   Part 4 of a series on metals. 

                                                  Antique sterling silver salver with silver, gold and platinum jewelry.

What are those funny little pictograms we often see on our jewelry and other precious metal items? Could they be some alien language sending us a message?
Yes and No. Not alien but definitely sending us a message and very important information. 
These tiny symbols are often so small that we need a loupe or magnifying glass to see them at all. They are called hallmarks and they can tell us a lot about the jewelry we are holding in our hands. 

There are a number of types of hallmarks. Hallmarks will differ according to time and place. Whole libraries have been written on the subject and still, we may not be able to decipher a specific mark. But let's dive in and learn the basics. 

The most fundamental of all hallmarks is the mark that tells us about the purity of the metal.  Last week, we learned that precious metals are combined with lesser metals in various proportions and that it's important to know what these proportions are. How much silver? How much gold? How much copper or other is in the mix?  How do we express this proportion or ratio? 
This is called a karat or a carat. We can write it as 'k' or 'ct'. Means the same and sounds the same. 
Just to confuse things a little more: Carats are also used to express the weight of gems, a digression, but worth remembering.  
Remember we learned that there are various ways to express the same thing? 750 equals 18k equals 75% (gold in this case). Again, we can muddy the waters by expressing that as 750 or 18k or even 18ct. 
585 (58.5%) can be expressed 58.5 or 14k. 
With silver, we can write 925 or Sterling, which mean exactly the same thing. Just two ways of expressing the exact proportion of silver to other metals.

End of arithmetic lesson. It gets easier and more complicated as we go along. 

Some countries use a special picture to indicate the purity of the metal. An eagle's head or an owl is a mark indicating 18k gold in France. In Britain, a strolling lion (called passant) was used to indicate sterling silver. 
In Russia, they simply used the number 56 and, in the USA, 14k. 

A useful word to remember is 'assay office'. This is the place where precious metals are tested for their purity. 

                                               

Another useful hallmark is the tiny image that tells us where the jewelry was made and /or tested. It was not used in every country and to this day, is not used in the USA. However, in Great Britain, they had a picture for every important metal testing center or assay office.  A leopard's head translates to London; an anchor to Birmingham and so on. In Russia, there were marks like St George to indicate the city and even the Vatican had a symbol - a pair of crossed keys. 

What about the date? The most specific designation comes from Great Britain, where every year was assigned a different letter of the alphabet, in a different form. You need to look up the letter and form the letter takes in a table that lists each year for the last few centuries. In France, a specific image might have been used for a limited time period. For example, a ram's head facing left was only used between 1819-1838. Other tiny differences in the pictogram, such as a double outline or no outline at all might be used for specific periods. 

Who Made the Item? In France, every maker registered his mark with the assay office. It was usually a monogram with a minute image, all contained in a diamond-shaped lozenge. In the USA, many makers either wrote their names or used a pictorial image to 'sign' their work. 

There are many books on every aspect of hallmarking. Some of these books are incredibly expensive and / or out of print and unavailable. The internet is a good source for trying to locate and translate a hallmark.

   

Problems with hallmarks: As we just said, it's often not easy to find a mark. With the passage of years, these already tiny marks may be rubbed and worn away, making them impossible to read. The details are important as there may be many superficially similar marks that carry entirely different messages. While a lion passant symbolizes 'sterling silver' in Britain, it could mean entirely something else in another country that uses a similar mark.
Finally, we have to warn about fakes and forgeries: Dishonest people will unjustifiably use a mark to raise the price of an item. They may use 18k on a lower carat item; they may indicate a specific town or maker to increase desirability especially where popular trends are involved. People will happily pay a whole lot more for a Cartier plain gold bangle than a generic version that looks the same. 

Remember: Do not expect to find hallmarks on every item of antique jewelry. Do expect to find no hallmarks on most jewelry made up to the late 1800's with the exception being the French, who hallmarked from well before the 19th century. When identifying an antique jewel, first look at its components and the hallmarks last. 

Tip: Hallmarks are not always easy to locate. The French have a unique system where they hallmark rings on the outside of the shank. If a mark on the outside of the shank is illegible, it's a good, calculated guess that it is French.

    

Questions and comments: Please email antiques@brendaginsberg.com
Find jewelry on www.brendaginsberg.com
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