www.925-1000.com

While it could be Hopi in origin, I highly doubt it. This is almost certainly massed produced to be sold in places like Wallmart or Zales or small mom and pop jewelry stores. It is very unlikely that the maker will be easily found as only the original retailer will know.

yes, when I get home Monday I'll go through my books because I know I have seen it before in at least one of them.

for me the sterling silver mark does not seem period-appropriate, the uneven tarnishing at the foot/ base edges makes me suspicious and its construction reminds more of plated ware rather solid pieces. That is why I suspect plate. Do you have a picture of the underside of the base? that could hold m...

the spoon definitely dates from the late 17th to early 18th century where ever it comes from. It does seem German but if Theoderich doesn't know than I don't know what to tell you. It kinda looks the mark for Frankenstein but I can find only one example of a mark from there and it comes from later t...

This is merely a guess based on the two pictures and lack of a makers mark but I would guess it is Victorian silver plate that has recently been replated and a false sterling mark added. But I have little to go on so this is purely conjecture.

I confess, having read this post from the beginning it looked like you were grasping at straws but you were right. I will always look at my forks a little more carefully. Excellent information!

The grouse mark is Swiss and so too is the pocket watch most likely. Probably exported to Germany. That grouse mark for 800 silver was used from 1882 to 1933. The inside cover reads "remontoir cylindre 10 rubis" which means the pocket watch is stem wound and has 10 rubies or jewels. The ca...

right, but none of those marks were REQUIRED on jewelry until 1973. Due to the softness of the gold and the delicate nature of the jewelry's construction, hallmarks on jewelry were optional in England. It wasn't until the U.K. Hallmarking Act of 1973 that almost all articles of precious metal manufa...

I'm kinda late to the party here but it definitely could be solid gold. The hallmarking laws of England at the time did not make it mandatory to hallmark jewelry except for certain types of rings. A lot of older English jewelry is solid gold and not hallmarked at all.

Hi, that the mark of the Franklin Mint. Hope that helps.

I doubt anyone has been offended. Nobody who has read your post knows. Oddly enough, sometimes the more modern a mark is, the harder it is to identify. be patient but also bear in mind that it may never be identified here and you might have to do some deeper research on your own.

Thank you for the links and references. I will try to hunt them down. I keep a list of books I can't find or are too expensive and just wait to till they show up and are affordable on the books sites I trust.

Hi, thank you, everyone, for all your help. You've discovered a lot more information than I thought would be found. And the additional information regarding the possible merchant whose death is being commemorated is very exciting. Being able to understand a piece's place in history always makes my h...

I think Sasropakis is correct that it is probably from the Baltics. I had originally thought it was from Vevey Switzerland but the style of the spoon is wrong for there.

I am stumped with this one. The marks are very clear but I cannot find anything that is a good match. It appears to be a W with a ladder over it and the initials JD? FD?. The inscription reads "H.H. natus 1698 Denata 1753". It's possible the piece is English but I don't get that feeling so...

Is this the maker's mark? Kind of looks like it but it could be something else. Can you get a clearer picture?

Another interesting point, there were a lot of second-hand silver sellers in England back then. With Victorian tastes being less plain, some silver seller with a glut of old spoons that weren't selling probably tried to spice things up and it took off. Much like the sellers today who turn teaspoons ...

The spoon looks very American to me. Is it kind of flimsy? If so then it is almost certainly American. Perhaps it is an unknown makers mark for Emmor Jefferis of Delaware who worked from 1827 - 1842 in Wilmington. It would fit the era of this spoon. Pure speculation though.

My great grandmother's name was Ida. Thank for your help Peter. If in your research you ever come across anything let me know

Thanks Peter. Sorry for my blurry pictures. I don't quite see an ax though. It looks more like a human head with either a scarf (moors head? blackamore?) in a Roman soldiers helmet. Sorry for my blurry pictures. I was also leaning towards 1647 since the spoon is engraved 1646 and is most likely a bi...