See more ideas about makers mark, pottery marks and vintage costumes. For more information on this company, read sharon g. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Navajo jewlery marks and symbols navajo code talkers. I am constantly adding new, and trying to improve the quality of the photos. The assay office marks for gold would be in a square shield with chamfered corners and in a blunt oval for silver. Import marks from 1999 following a ruling of the european court of justice the uk is required to accept national hallmarks of member states who provide an. This first link is an index of famous makers marks. Whether youre an avid costume jewelry collector, a beginner, or are just drawn to beautiful things, we think you will be interested in the information presented here on costume jewelry designers and companies that produced costume jewelry for others. Silver jewelry marks are the hallmarks found on silver jewelry to help identify the composition and source of the jewelry. Special acknowledgments go to dotty stringfield who created rcj in 1997 with the help of. Information and images contained in researching costume jewelry rcj were created by illusion jewels and are currently maintained and updated by costume jewelry collectors intl cjci. The study of jewelry makers marks is a fascinating subject, steeped in history, culture, and art. In europe, pure 24karat gold is marked fine, while 18karat gold is 750, meaning 75 percent.
Ive seen one reference book listing the 1970s, but most seem to agree that they. Antique and vine jewelry maker s marks a collector. Silver jewelry marks can also include the region or town where the piece was made andor. Jewelry marks chart the assay office mark shows which assay. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Your help will be very appreciated to name the following hallmarks. Like ciner costume jewelry, it is often difficult to date napier pieces simply by looking at the mark. Trifari makers marks and trademarks demarc treasures. There is very little information about the designer or design mark bsk, either online or in research books. This is a page of a small collection of antique silver and objects of vertu, a pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, silver marking system and silver. On our website people can send in questions about hallmarks and many times we receive makers marks instead of hallmarks. Look up designer jewelry makers marks using this list of designers and images of their stamps. You can look for marks, but frequently the jewelry only bears the mark of the company they worked for. Napier costume jewelry from the 1920s and early 1930s is extremely hard to find and highly prized by both napier enthusiasts and collectors of art deco jewelry.
Feb 20, 2016 vintage jewelry hallmarks have helped me to identify the gorgeous pieces that ive collected from my thrift shopping. Silver, large stones, and organic shapes are frequently found in navajo jewelry. Jewelry hallmarks gold and silver sterling silver jewelry, antique jewelry. The information here is sourced well and enriched with great visual photo and video illustrations. The large scale manufacturers which began in the 1840s form a major portion of this directory. The study of jewelry maker s marks is a fascinating subject, steeped in history, culture, and art. The keystone jewelry trade mark book, 1934 edition.
Determine whether jewelry is 10karat gold by looking for a 10k mark, which indicates jewelry is 41. Vine jewelry marks help for dating your what is gold 375 how to read precious metal hallmarks verwoerd ceramics vine jewelry marks help for dating your researching ume jewelry marks fashion silver jewelry marks learn to identify and datejewelry maker s mark antiquevine jewelry marks help for dating yourantique and continue reading jewelry. If it was made in england before 1975, 18k gold will be stamped 18ct or 18c. They offer a good variety of makers marks here but dont stop just on this page, search through its volumes of. Sterling silver, for instance, will have a mark of 925.
Researching costume jewelry history, companies and. Many of the worlds major jewelry and watchmaking centers require that makers register their marks so they can be tracked. Below is an example of a mexican hallmark post1979, that reads te43. We start with austria and end with the united states. One of the biggest challenges in identifying a piece of jewelry is deciphering the hallmarks that you find on the back. Robert lee morris in script and sterling silver or 925. It was believed that the larger and more elaborate a piece of jewelry was, the more the person wearing it was worthy of the respect of those around them. Dating napier costume jewelry from the 1920s and 1930s. When you find the article helpful, feel free to share it with your friends or colleagues. Some of the marks can be seen alphabetically on these marks pages, and some of the jewelry images are in jewel chat. Books specifically listing hallmarks are usually organized by country and further by time period within the country. One of the more undervalued vintage jewelry designers is from bsk. This is a page of a small collection of antique silver and objects of vertu, a pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, articles, books, auction catalogs, famous silversmiths tiffany, gorham, jensen. However, if you do find the marks, this list below of over 180 vintage jewelry and metal designers may help you identify how old they are.
All smithsonian museums and smithsonian libraries locations continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of covid19. People think any makers mark is a hallmark and that becomes a problem. Jewelry makers of the 1920s1950s fahrner to mazer brothers. In the 1934 edition of the jewelry trade mark book, the owner of the companys trademark is listed as kreisler, stern co. Many charms are not stamped with makers marks or hallmarks, this doesnt mean the charm is not a precious metal necessarily. The second letter, e, is the first letter of the smiths last name or company name.
The ambition of this website is to create a complete reference guide of swedish hallmarks from late 1600s to c 1930s. The english goldsmiths marks from 1400 to 1900 1 makers marks and hallmarks from england, scotland, and ireland rare reference book for collectors over 700 pages, collectors and dealers will. Due to the large volume of requests received, we are unable to answer individual questions about jewelry marks and signatures. Hello, we provide concise yet detailed articles on gold choices.
Ben has been making wonderful american handcrafted silver jewelry since the early 1970s. There are over 200 pages of alphabetized photos of makers marks along with short descriptions of some of the makers. Patent numbers are especially helpful when dating older vintage jewelry, and will be covered in a separate article in this series. The number after the dash, 43, means this silversmith is the 43rd smith whose last name starts with the letter e, in the city of taxco, mexico. Often overlooked due to their intentionally hidden location and diminutive size, the etchings found inscribed on a piece of modern or vintage jewelry offer a window into the who, what, and where of the piece and are well worth a serious look. Published in 1971, this book is a good source of information on bottle makers marks and the history of the companies that produced them. The company was founded in new york in 1948 and was in business until the mid 1980s. Contact heritage auctions for a free appraisal of your designer. The earliest pieces of chanel jewelry were unmarked. Researching costume jewelry history, jewelry marks. Jewelry makers mark maker s marks are the initials or name of the manufacturing firm or other representative symbol stamped into a gold, silver or platinum item. Most of the older jewelry from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s are in private collections and rarely come up for sale.
Jewelry, beads, and other similar pieces are a strong component to navajo traditions and beliefs. At a minimum they include the purity marks that indicate the silver content, and can also include the makers mark or signature. Rice weiner was a jewelry maker starting in about the 1930s to the 1950s i think. Later marks include the letter e in script and in a block letter, and eisenberg in script and in block letters.
A maker s mark can help but if jewelry has hallmarks, this process is almost foolproof. It is regularly updated as we find and photograph new examples of silver hallmarks and makers marks. The classic published reference on the subject of makers markings, as noted above, is the aptly named bottle makers and their marks by dr. All jewelry he designs are created by robert lee morris himself and include archival and oneofakind pieces as well as the complete current line of jewelry. Specialist publications help explain different makers or sponsors marks, with sir charles jacksons english goldsmiths and their marks, first published in 1905 and revised in 1989, still the most authoritative work on the subject. To get started click on the link for the assay office you want and follow the alphabetical links. Gold jewelry will often have different numbers inscribed or etched in them to signify the metals karat content. Pinpointing maker and metal content is often pretty easy. Researching costume jewelry rcj is a collaboration of hundreds of costume jewelry collectors and dealers who have shared and continue to share their knowledge, photos, written articles, and jewelry catalogs along with assisting in other ways. Jewelry makers marks identification guide gold stamp list. Many countries dont offer lists of registered makers or their marks. To navigate the site, it is easiest to use the green menu bar at the top of the screen.
A makers mark is a stamp of a charm makers logo or initials found on some charms which identifies who the designer or maker is. If it is not clear which are the first 2 letters for example for 4 letters arranged in a cross shape, try whatever looks most likely i have tried to. Schwartz and laura suttons excellent book eisenberg originals. The golden years of fashion, jewelry, and fragrance, 1920s1950s. See more ideas about vintage jewelry, vintage costumes and. Antique jewelry university the aju, developed by lang antiques, provides a location to share and disseminated information about both modern and antique jewelry, and gem materials. The little book of mexican silver trade and hallmarks. The pocket edition of jacksons hallmarks contains 1,000 makers marks listed alphabetically by mark, with comments as to rarity, value and the speciality of the maker e. The inclusion of initial stamps alongside the hallmarks means that most makers can also be identified. This signifies that the piece of jewelry maintains a. Gold hallmarks how to know what your jewellery really is dictionary of marks premium articles table optional marks hallmarks explained hallmarking jewelry sts what do they really mean exle of jewelry silver tradenames search. Ben yazzie has made fine silver and turquoise jewelry for many, many famous country musicians such as charlie daniels, dwight yokham, the mcentire sisters, mark wills and many more.
This is a non profit project, which started in aug 2015. Your help will be appreciated to name the following hallmarks. A utility patent for a vanity case with multiple compartments applied for in 1934 and granted to kreisler in 1935 was assigned to kreisler stern co. Vintage costume jewelry usually doesnt have purity marks, but will often have a makers mark commonly called the signature, and can sometimes have a retailer mark andor patent or inventory marks.
This was not expensive, so i cant complain, but it is of limited use for me. We are not announcing a reopening date at this time and will provide updates on a regular and asneeded basis. Im new to jewelry collecting and slowly buying books to identify maker, origin, etc. A more complete listing of the mark variations can be found in charles h. See more ideas about makers mark, antique jewelry and vintage jewelry. Sometimes metal marks alone provide a key to the where and when of an old piece of jewelry. Colorado native ben yazzie is a very famous native american jewelry artisan. In a marks list database, one might find an array of hallmarks and maker s marks, plus information regarding the date and place of origin, and the makeup and composition of the piece, too. See more ideas about costume jewelry, jewelry, vintage costumes. Only with clear pictures attached please, im not a mindreader. Look for other marks that indicate 14k jewelry, such as 585 and 14kp. Native american indian jewelry artists and their hallmarks. The little book of mexican silver trade and hallmarks by billie hougart is essential for identifying mexican jewelry. The english goldsmiths marks from 1400 to 1900 1 makers marks and hallmarks from england, scotland, and ireland rare reference book.
Also called trademarks, they often provide the only evidence that a certain piece of jewelry has indeed been manufactured by a certain jewelry maker. Makers marks arent nearly as well documented as hallmarks. Much like gold jewelry maintains a relatively straightforward identification process for karat content, so does silver. Gold tips and techniques for mystery books vintage silver jewelry, antique. Chanel has used many different marks since the 1960s, including both round and oval cartouche signature plates and sometimes stamping chanel directly into the piece.
1145 1384 75 1495 785 712 1207 227 490 760 134 1006 194 438 1291 1449 1324 629 628 1043 588 1409 415 1447 1002 1369 98 357 336 144