Jewelry Antiques of the 20th Century

Hallmarking Hints and Tips - Part IV

G’day and many thanks once again for your interest in our mini-series of articles entitled…

‘Hallmarking Hints and Tips’.

However, I couldn’t let go of the fact I hadn’t covered everything, and as I had these last few Hints and Tips, thought I would send them out as a Bonus Gift for you.

Hope you enjoy them and find them not only interesting but capable of saving you money as well….

So lets get on with your Bonus report…

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*Hallmarking Hints and Tips* - Part IV

by David Foard F.G.A.A.

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*The Hallmarking Act*…

There is no point in talking about the Hallmarking act which changed the marks and qualities used since circa 1477, as that is beyond the scope of this report and in reality, is beyond the scope of items we might see today in Jewelry Antiques of the Twentieth Century.

Suffice to say, as a general rule, the marks you should see in British Jewelry are:

• 22ct
• 18ct
• 15ct (The Victorian favorite)
• And the modern 9ct quality.

However; you may be familiar with the Asian quality of 14ct and the American 12ct or even some European items marked 10ct.

Each of these marks would easily be seen with your trusty eyeglass we keep advising you to buy…

You DID get one didn’t you?

30x Jeweler’s Loupe with Leather Case

Price: $34.99 USD

From this you can see how it helps identify, in a ballpark way, the age of something.

For example: if an item is stamped 15ct, it would be perfectly fair to assume it was from the Victorian or Edwardian periods.

As long as it wasn’t Brand New or a Brooch in the shape of an Aircraft?

Yes they have been seen, but not in Queen Victoria’s Times.

She would NOT have been amused.

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In 1854 there was a major change to Hallmarking which allowed the carat number PLUS the decimal value such as 9 with .375 or 18 with .750 to be marked on items.

Again this helps in identifying the age.

The Victorian standard of 15ct then would be 15 with .625 and would be clearly visible.

In circa 1931 (now we are getting into a period most of us should see) the standard 12ct and 15ct were replaced with 14ct (so the mark was 14 with .585) which remained until circa 1975 when the decimal point was dropped off.

Just read that last HINT again will you… the decimal point was dropped off.

This again gave a clue as to age, as many people assume, incorrectly, that the decimal point is indication of a modern thing, but we now know has been there since circa 1854.

We just got lazy and dropped it off.

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*TIP 9*

Pure gold is 24 carat, so if an item is marked 9ct, it means it has only 9 parts gold to 15 parts of some other metal.

*HINT 9*

The purest gold used for Jewelry in the UK is 22ct which was used in the main for wedding rings, followed by 18ct.

Sadly the cost went up and the quality came down, so 9ct is now the normal.

Can you see how that helps with hallmarking?

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*TIP 10*

We all like Rose gold found in Antique and Estate Jewelry which is made by including more copper into the mix.

With White gold they add Nickel. The only other metal generally used is silver.

None of these will be shown in the Hallmark, as White Gold, yellow gold, green gold or multicolored gold are all the same in quality.

9ct is 9ct is 9ct - No matter what the color.

*HINT 10*

If a manufacturing Jeweler made a mix (like a recipe for cake) with 50 percent pure gold and 25 percent silver and 25 percent copper it would be unacceptable today in Great Britain for Hallmarking.

Why? Because it would be 12ct (half of 24ct pure gold).

However, it would be up to standard in the USA and many parts of Asia where 12ct or 12K is widely seen.

Be careful….

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Many clients ask me just what books and resources I personally use - especially when it comes to the very complex task of Hallmarks.

While the smaller Jackson’s Pocket Book is excellent (and we recommend it all the time) I have to confess to owning a copy of the Hardcover Silver and Gold Hallmarks because it does so much more.

Jacksons Silver and Gold Marks

Price: $62.68 USD

As a professional gemologist Valuer I am often asked questions (you can ask too - just use the contact form above) so I need to have accurate and definitive information at my fingertips.

I look at it this way - If an information book can save me a hundred bucks - at some time during my life - then the cost of the book is free.

Just thought I’d throw that out there as we get so many requests on this subject. Naturally I use lots of other books and resources too - but that’s for another course or series of reports.

Talking if which… I was thinking about… Hmmmm?

Anyway….

As I am constantly writing and researching all aspects of Antique Jewelry and Gemstones, you can be absolutely sure I’m going to come up with other courses in the future.

But don’t worry, you won’t miss out as I will personally let you know.

So keep a lookout for any update in your inbox and make sure your ISP or Junk Mail Filters don’t just dump it. These reports can save you a lot of time and money, because knowledge is what keeps you in front.

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

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Thanks - We appreciate your help.

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