The Style of Antique Jewellery

The Style of Antique Jewellery

Antique jewellery is popular with collectors and people looking to wear something unique and stylish.

You can find a great selection of antique jewellery at most antique fairs and there is always a chance to pick up a valuable piece that has been missed by the experts.

Generally, an item is classed as an antique if it is over 100 years old. You can date silver and gold pieces manufactured in Britain by checking out the hallmark.

The style of antique jewellery varies a great deal depending on its age and is characterised by the fashions and trends of the day.

Georgian period 1714-1837
This period produced high quality and individual jewellery with a high level of craftsmanship. Style often draws on natural elements such as birds, leaves, flowers and feathers and often features added embellishments of bows and pear shaped drops. Georgian jewellery tends to be expensive owning to its age and the quality of materials used. Gemstones are popular in this period.

Victorian period 1837-1901
Romanticised natural shapes, personally engraved silver pieces and grisly memorial jewellery such as lockets with the hair of a loved one, typify the Victorian age. The influences of the far-flung empire also gave some jewellery an oriental flavour. This style called Japonaiserie was very popular and was produced in Britain.













Edwardian period 1901-1915
An affluent period for many, platinum was used for the first time in jewellery. Diamonds and pearls had become more readily available in the early 1900s and became popular. In general, Edwardian style jewellery is light and delicate and sometimes draws on Art Nouveau and Japanese inspired designs. Tiffany and Faberge produced high value pieces much sought after today.

Art Nouveau style 1890-1915
Art Nouveau style runs alongside much of the Edwardian period but can be classified as a style of its own.
Both natural and mythical subjects are popular in Art Nouveau jewellery. Butterflies, dragons, dragonflies, insects and sea creatures, stylised women with long flowing hair are typical subjects. The art Nouveau style looked to nature for inspiration and semi precious stones such as pearls were very popular.

Art deco style 1920-1935
Strong angular cubist shapes and bold contrasting colours epitomise the jazz age. High quality jewellery pieces made of platinum and palladium could be decorated with diamonds and contrasted with the new plastic material Bakelite or onyx jet for dramatic effect. Cartier were the leaders in art deco jewellery design




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What is WMF Silver

From Gold and Silver Hallmarks

In 1853, Daniel Straub, a miller from Geislingen, joined forces with the Schweizer Brothers to form the "Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer" in Geislingen.

This was the second company to be founded by Straub - previously in 1850, from the nucleus of a small repair workshop, which he had set up to work on the construction of Geislingen's famous railway incline, he had founded the Maschinenfabrik Geislingen. This company was involved mainly in manufacturing mill turbines and traded throughout Europe.

As early as 1862, the young company distinguished itself by winning a gold medal at the World Exhibition in London. In 1866, following the departure of the brothers Louis and Friedrich Schweizer, the company was renamed "Straub & Sohn" (Straub & Son).

The company showroom, built in 1868 in Berlin, gradually evolved to become the company's first retail outlet. Three years later, the company was already employing 60 workers. By 1880, the number of employees had grown to approximately 200 and the company was already producing 960 different items.

1880 saw the merger between Straub & Sohn and "Ritter & Co.", Esslingen, to form a public limited company under the name of Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. At the time of the merger, Ritter & Co.'s Esslingen factory was already using the electroplating method of silver plating and had the more modern production facilities at its disposal. Straub's company, on the other hand, was the more profitable of the two.

1892 saw the development of a special technique for silver plating cutlery, whereby the silver is distributed in a way that, at the points of the cutlery most exposed to wear and tear, the coating is twice as thick as elsewhere. This process was patented and is still in use today. Known nowadays as 'Perfect Hard Silver plating' the technique remains exclusive to WMF.

Under Carl Hugele the company gained international standing. At the turn of the century the factory in Geislingen employed 3,000 workers. By 1910, this number had already grown to 4,000, making WMF the largest company in Wurttemberg at this time. Sales catalogues were printed in twelve languages. Subsidiary companies in London, Warsaw and Vienna opened up export markets.

Under the direction of Albert Mayer the WMF studio was influenced by the art nouveau style. The product range was modernized and considerably extended. In 1905 WMF acquired a majority holding of the Cologne Company Orivit AG, which manufactured products from "Orivit", a tin alloy.

As of 1925, products created by the Contemporary Decorative Products Department (NKA) made their debut on the market. This department was set up under the direction of Hugo Debach in order to establish the name of WMF amongst consumers interested in art and design. This department was responsible for producing the special "Ikora" finish, which has earned an important place in the annals of art history. The "Ikora" brand name referred to a specific method of treating the surface of the metal, by which layers of coating were applied in a partly chemical and partly heat induced process.

A host of newly developed hand-finishing techniques enhanced the possibilities for adding decorative flourishes to the products. Despite being mass produced, every item looked as if it had been individually crafted.

At the end of the war the company had lost its foreign assets, associated factories and retail outlets. The years following 1945 saw the start of a concerted effort to reconstruct in terms of personnel, organizational structures and technology in the remaining factory sites. The network of retail shops was rebuilt. Very soon, subsidiaries sprang up in the USA, Holland, Canada, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

By 1950, WMF staff numbers had again swelled to 3,000. Silver plated tableware and cutlery accounted for two thirds of WMF's turnover, with shops specialising in clocks and watches, gold and silverware representing the company's main customers.

A shift in emphasis occurred at the end of the 1950s and was marked by an increase in the importance of Cromargan cutlery and hollowware. This period saw the creation of classic products, such as designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld, which still feature in or have been reintroduced into the WMF collection. It also saw an increase in the volume of trade in household and kitchenware items between WMF and specialist retail shops. A number of stemware collections completed the WMF catalogue, followed by the development of an extensive range of products for the hotel and catering industry.

By 1960, the Geislingen factory alone employed around 5,800 workers. A shortage of space and manpower at this site led to the setting up of additional branch factories, like the factory in Hayingen and Riedlingen.

Identifying French Silver

From Gold and Silver Hallmarks

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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How to Understand International hallmarks

How to Understand International hallmarks

From the Big World

The United Kingdom has been a signatory to the Convention on Hallmarks since 1972. This means that UK Assay Offices can strike the Convention Hallmark which will then be recognised by all member countries in the International Convention.

Conversely, Convention Hallmarks from other member countries are legally recognised in the UK. Articles bearing the Convention Hallmark do not have to be re – hallmarked in the UK.

The Assay Office marks of member countries of the Convention are illustrated below. The shield design around the Assay Office mark sometimes varies according to whether the article is gold, silver or platinum. The key mark to look for is the common Control mark.
The other marks must also be present.

The hallmark guarantees that the purity of the metal is at least that indicated by the fineness Number.

Current International Hallmarks
Since the 1st January 1999 following a ruling of the European Court of Justice, the UK is required to accept (and not re – hallmark) other European national hallmarks which provide an equivalent guarantee to consumers. It is the opinion of the British Hallmarking Council that such hallmarks must contain a Sponsor’s or Maker’s Mark, a Fineness (purity) Mark and an Assay Office Mark. For example: (link to original page).


 
 
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How to date silver from fineness and assay marks

Silver, gold, and platinum have assay and fineness marks stamped on each article. The Fineness mark is a representation of the assayed purity of the metal. The Assay mark defines at which office the metal was checked for its purity.

The Hallmarking Act 1973 changed on 1 January 1999 and allows articles of higher and lower standards of fineness to be sold. This brings UK law into line with European law. Consumers may now choose from a much wider range of goods but to continue to benefit from the same level of protection.

These marks are the Assay Office Marks and the fineness marks. They are stamped on Gold, Silver and Platinum products and represent the UK office where the article was assayed.

assay and finess marks for silver gold and platinum before 1975

Prior to 1975 no mark was given for platinum by the Assay Offices. The fineness marks were stamped in two blocks except for Britannia Silver which had a single stamp. On Gold the carat mark is always stamped.

assay and fineness marks on silver, platinum and gold after 1975

After 1975 the London Assay Office no longer used the Britannia Silver mark. After 1975 all the four UK Assay Offices included Gold, Silver and Platinum in their hallmark.

After 1975 the Fineness marks were simplified to include a new mark for Platinum. Gold always carries a number preceded by a crown. Silver is marked with a single symbol which is either a lion or Britannia.

The imported fineness marks have also changed to reflect the purity of the metal with the mark for carat removed. A new purity mark for Platinum is also stamped on objects after 1975.

gold and silver hallmarks