Jewelry Antiques of the 20th Century

Hallmarking Hints and Tips - Part III

G’day and many thanks for continuing with our mini-series of articles entitled…

‘Hallmarking Hints and Tips’

We certainly hope you are enjoying them.

Through these reports you will gain a better understanding of just how the British Hallmark created subtle changes to produce a series of very unique marks that we can all identify.

But only if you’ve been sensible enough to read through these Hints - Tips and Secrets and put them to work.

So grab a coffee (I love coffee - That’s another HINT), put your feet up and let’s get going…

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Hallmarking Hints and Tips - Part III

by David Foard F.G.A.A.

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*The Date Hallmark*….

You should be getting familiar with the marks mentioned in our earlier pages. It might pay you to read them again, just to bring you up to speed and ensure you have grasped the principles.

So let’s quickly remind ourselves just what we have covered so far.

The first three marks mentioned in the series were:

• *The Makers mark
• *The Assay Office mark
• *The Quality mark

And that brings us to the last and most important marks in the series…

• The Date stamp.

Be aware that more mistakes are made with this mark than any of the others. This is caused by two reasons.

The first: because 26 letters can only be used for 26 years.

YET EVEN THIS IS A LIE!

Because when it comes to UKHM (British Hallmarks) the powers in charge, thought the letter ‘J’ could easily be mistaken for other letters.

So in London, at least, they didn’t use it.

But they didn’t use VWXYZ either, bringing the date letters down to just 20.

10x 21mm Chrome Jeweler’s Loupe Magnifier

Price: $3.99 USD *** I don’t believe this price?

When using your Jeweler’s Loupe (eyeglass) If you see a UKHM with a London Assay Office Hallmark - a leopard - with any date letter being J V W X Y Z - it’s a forgery!

*Drop it like the Hot Hallmark it is*…

Plus they did make other changes in very subtle ways.

By alternating the date letter (a different one for each year) they also grouped italics and capitals into separate series of 20 letters.

This simple trick produced a 60 year cycle - but they hadn’t finished yet.

In order to extend their use, they changed the outline shapes of the hallmark stamp itself.

Take a Look at the Hallmark Stamp we use in our Logo above.

The Letter may be an ‘E’ (Capital) but one of the most forgotten parts is the SHAPE of the stamp - In this case - Square with corners cut off.

This is a typical mistake MOST people commit, because they simply use the Date Letter and forget the Shape of the Stamp.

So one 20 year series may use a ‘Shield’ outline, while the next 20 years may use a square shape with the corners trimmed off as in our example logo.

Pretty smart those Goldsmiths…

You can see how that simple little trick produced a huge array of permutations making everything unique. The object of the exercise was to keep the quality high, stop fraud, and gather taxes.

I think their last motive is the same motive they still use today!

But didn’t I mention there were TWO reasons?

The second reason people get confused with the Date letter mark is rational and believable, because humans being humans (and contrary to common belief - Jewelers are Human), a manufacturer who lived in Birmingham had to use one shape of stamp - while the jewelers in London had to use another shaped stamp.

All very good, you say - until a jeweler who *USED* to live in London went to Birmingham to work and took all his old tools and stamps with him, and couldn’t be bothered (they cost money) to buy a new set.

so he used his old set….

Ahhh… Life is never simple.

However and in general terms, if all else fails use common sense.

As London was the Largest and most common stamp, you may find a Birmingham mark with a slightly wrong date stamp, although the date YEAR should be the same.

By using all of the marks together and taking into account the wear and look of the item - plus what it is - you should get fairly close to accurate.

It takes a lot of practice, so start with your own jewelry and slowly work your way through your circle of family and friends until you have none left (jewelry I mean - NOT friends).

*BONUS HINT*

Attend as many auctions as you can trying to date items by comparing the details in their catalogue.

That’s called *F~R~E~E* EDUCATION

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*TIP 5*

When it comes to Antiques in general, it is interesting to note that the expression ‘Circa’ or ‘c’ actually means ‘around’…

*HINT 5*

As a general rule, Hallmarks should be assessed by going from the ‘Big Picture’ to the ‘Small Picture’ for the particular date in question.

For example: Date the article within a 20 year or 25 year time span first. This can be calculated from the overall ‘SHAPE’ or style of the stamp mark (Shield or Oval etc). Then go to the actual ‘Year’ stamp mark.

Remember, these can sometimes be wrong, but if we are in the ballpark, so to speak, we can’t be too far out so we can use the ‘circa’ or ‘c’ expression without being absolute.

Isn’t it better to say: ‘This Victorian ring is circa 1880′ rather than try to be too specific by saying ‘I think this was made in 1878 or somewhere around there.’ That makes you look foolish.

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*TIP 6*

This single piece of information can help with Modern items of Jewelry as well as Silver imported into England between 1883 - 1904. They both carry the ‘F’ mark (for Foreign).

*HINT 6*

The major point is to use ALL of the Hallmarks, not just the date letter. Also check the style of an item, as this could give a clue to the period.

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*Final Bonus Secrets - Hints and Tips Revealed*

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*TIP 7*

In Circa 1821 the Leopard’s Head Hallmark became ‘Uncrowned’

*TIP 8*

In Circa 1891 Queen Victoria’s head was no longer used in Hallmarking.

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I hope you enjoyed ‘Hallmarking Hints and Tips’ and would do me the honor of passing it on to any interested third party or friend who might find it educational or useful in their everyday work.

They can get their own copy in the series by going to: http://www.jewellery-antiques.com/ and subscribing from the form available on every page of the site.

Thanks.

In the meantime, take care and watch the road.

kind regards. David

P.S. If you haven’t got your Pocket Edition of Jackson’s Hallmarking yet, you can still get it delivered straight to your door. Now that’s convenient, cost effective and fast. It’s at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1851491694/theantiquejew-20*LAST TIP*

The first THREE things I recommend anyone do when starting their own personal Antique Jewelry toolkit is…

• Buy an inexpensive plastic 10x eyeglass
• Get a Pocket edition Hallmarking Book (see above for link)
• Bookmark Antique Jewelry Fair into their favorites

Oh yes… And enjoy your Jewelry… {– *BONUS HINT*

You will receive notification for any other Antique Jewelry Articles which will be delivered to you, so keep a lookout for it in your inbox and make sure your ISP or Junk Mail Filters don’t just dump it.

Get this address listed in your Whitelist or safe list. It’s…  david[AT]jewellery-antiques.com (where [AT] is equal to the @ sign you find in email addresses).

We just don’t want those rotten spammers getting hold of my email using spy robots so we have ‘disguised’ the address that way. I know YOU will be able to read it though.

This is my personal email and ALWAYS shows it comes from me in the ‘Sender’ field like this —} David Foard F.G.A.A.

The letters after my name (F.G.A.A.) show I am a Fellow of the Gemological Association of Australia and will identify the email as coming from me.

In the meantime, take care and watch the road.

kind regards. David

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P.S. If you have a friend or colleague who might benefit from this report, please pass this on.

Or they can get their own copy in the series by going to:

http://www.jewellery-antiques.com/ and subscribing from the form available on every page of the site.

Thanks - We appreciate your help.

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