Showing posts with label French silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French silver. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A Guide to Foreign Silver part 2

Part 2 Of this guide to foreign Silver has now been uploaded to the main site.

It contains more details of information to help you discover more about international Silver.

One of the difficulties of identifying foreign silver is there is often a lack of coherent marks.
 
Another big problem with checking foreign silver, is that even if there is a hallmark system, you are unlikely to be familiar with it.

Despite this, it is a mistake to discount all foreign silver just because of your lack of knowledge, because in many cases foreign silver can have a very high silver content as well as holding great artistic or antique value.

gold and silver hallmarks guide

Foreign Silver often provides classic craftsmanship from some of the best silversmiths in the world.

However a lot of foreign hallmarks do at least give you a clue about the quality of the silver and these clues help you decide on the content of silver from the high percentage metal to the plain white metal products.

Understanding the marks on foreign silver is a specialised field. In part 1 of the quick guide to foreign silver hallmarks you can find the clues needed to find out about silver from abroad.

In part 2 of the guide to foreign hallmarks new countries and their silver marks are explored in more detail.

You don’t have to be an expert in all foreign hallmarks to be able to identify the country of origin.

Most foreign hallmarks give you plenty of clues plus some vital silver information that will help you sort the quality silver from the white metal.

Please take a look at guide to foreign silver hallmarks Part 2 you can expect to find on silver from abroad.

Metals covered

Italian Silver
Spanish Silver
Portuguese Silver
Scandinavian Silver
Norwegian Silver
Danish Silver


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Monday, June 11, 2012

Identify marks on foreign silver part 1

foreign silver marks picture
One of the difficulties of identifying foreign silver is there is often a lack of coherent marks.

Another big problem with checking foreign silver, is that even if there is a hallmark system, you are unlikely to be familiar with it.

Despite this, it is a mistake to discount all foreign silver just because of your lack of knowledge, because in many cases foreign silver can have a very high silver content as well as holding great artistic or antique value.

Foreign Silver often provides classic craftsmanship from some of the best silversmiths in the world.

However a lot of foreign hallmarks do at least give you a clue about the quality of the silver and these clues help you decide on the content of silver from the high percentage metal to the plain white metal products.

gold and silver hallmarks guide

Understanding the marks on foreign silver is a specialised field. In part 1 of the quick guide to foreign silver hallmarks you can find the clues needed to find out about silver from abroad.

You don’t have to be an expert in all foreign hallmarks to be able to identify the country of origin. Most foreign hallmarks give you plenty of clues plus some vital silver information that will help you sort the quality silver from the white metal.

Please take a look at guide to foreign hallmarks Part 1 you can expect to find on silver from abroad.

Part One Covers

US Silver
Irish Silver
Mexican Silver
German Silver
Austrian Silver


You might also be interested in

French Silver
Guide to Spanish pieces of eight
How to Understand International hallmarks


silver testing kit

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Identifying French Silver


French Silver ware is still hugely collectable. Examples for sale can be found almost anywhere in the world. This is a testament to the huge popularity of French Silver.

What is French Silver worth? Well, anywhere between a few pounds sterling to the thousands paid for a beautiful or rare piece of fine French Silver.

Hallmarks the markings in assayed silver were first used in France in the mid-13th century. There are hundreds of different French hallmarks, some of them obscure and rare. However, you can identify many French hallmarks by looking for a few distinguishing features.
To begin you will need a Jeweller’s loupe or a strong magnifying glass and a guide to French hallmarks.

1. Turn the silver item round with your hands until you can find a hallmark.

2. Look for a diamond-shaped lozenge with letters inside. This is a French maker's mark, designating the original item manufacturer.

3. Search for what looks like a woman's head facing right, wearing a helmet. This is the Roman goddess Minerva. Minerva is the mark for French silver.

4. Check for a boar's head looking left or a crab mark. These are found on smaller items such as snuff boxes, vinaigrettes and card cases.

5. Search for other hallmarks that have a bearded man, duck, cockerel, wolf or a man with a winged helmet. These were all used as hallmarks during various eras in France, according to the website 925-1000. A decorative letter "A" with a crown on top means that an item was made in Paris.

6. View the list of hallmarks on the 925-1000 website or in a reputable French hallmark guide, such as "Tardy's International Hallmarks on Silver."

More: Identify Silver Index 

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