EXAMPLES OF ANSWERS TO OUR MEMBERS FOR
MAKERS’ MARKS ON JEWELRY, SILVER & PRECIOUS METALS or PEWTER

Identifying makers marks & hallmarks on Sterling Silver or Silverplate can often be daunting, mostly because they come in “sets”. As most collectors and antiques dealers know, these marks represent different aspects of an item’s identity, origin, date of manufacture, and Assay or Purity information. Similarly, marks on Jewelry and Fashion Accessories can also be quite confusing. Some are used by the same companies that normally produce Silver Flatware or Hollowware, but on Jewelry these marks are frequently slightly varied, especially if they also include a Designer’s name or initials.

Additionally, as country standards changed over time and adherence to related Precious Metals Hallmarks varies in each country, the task of deciphering certain Silver Hallmarks can be puzzling and uncertain. For example, many Sterling Silver antiques are in fact hallmarked at least twice as they are exported to other countries so that they comply with their Tariff laws, which complicates matters even further.

Another problem is when the same initials mark, which has always been a very common way of many jewelers & silversmiths around the world in marking their items for many centuries, can often refer to several makers. Of course, there are always other clues, but it usually takes an experienced collector to distinguish these in order to assist in identifying these makers with a fair degree of accuracy. Although in our case we have included several self-help research tools within our site, such as the proprietary INITIALS SEARCH and NAME SEARCH to look-up related makers marks instantly and help in identifying the one on your treasure, we constantly receive questions from our members to confirm one way or another.

It is also interesting to mention the case of “pseudo-marks”, which are observed on Silverplated antiques or even Jewelry made on non-precious metals, but resemble symbols used as authentic Hallmarks by various countries and other periods. There is a fascinating history as to why this is the case – see our article on PSEUDO-MARKS & HALLMARKS ON ANTIQUE SILVER & SILVERWARE - but it still reaffirms the need to have an expert on your side to guide you through.

The point is that we all can have doubts and are frequently in wonder of marks we encounter in our research on metal-ware and especially precious metals. If anything, this is a sign that you know enough to begin realizing that there is much more to learn – and if you are like us “antiques geeks” – this is usually where the fun begins.

However, beyond the pleasure from discovering new facts and trivia on a beloved collectible treasure or heirloom, there is also a distinct and nagging element of making certain that a mistake in identifying an item would not lead to a significant monetary loss. This is important for our business and it is also the ethical thing to do when we label our items and tell our customers of what we know on each piece. Accurate information on our items makes us expert collectors and successful dealers. Needless to say, the same reasoning applies when buying, since we want to make sure that we do not purchase items sold to us as Sterling Silver, but instead are Silverplated or even worse, some sort of worthless white metal.

For all these reasons and also because we want to ensure that our valued members can fully share in our ever-expanding knowledge, we have committed to answer all questions from our members when in doubt or can’t find their marks in our database. This is what we mean by our HELP GUARANTEED, which is totally free of charge to our members.

Below are links to pages with some examples of answers by our specialists that have been sent directly to our members around the world and that may also be of interest to others. As always, and true to our Privacy Policy, members’ personal information is not being shared with anyone and some of the answers have been edited or expanded in order to help in disseminating what is important without specific reference to the original member’s private question. Please enjoy…