www.925-1000.com

all of this parsing and hair splitting reminds me of a book i read years ago: the space child's possible-probable book. can't find it again, but it very neatly - and comically - defined the possible vs. the probable. unless we are there when the makers' marks are recorded, or there is unimpeachable ...

these types of forks were always used to scoop things (pickled walnuts etc) out of syrup or sauce in our house, different sizes for different foods. tho you probably have to ask a victorian what the intended use was.
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POLAND 1920 recense-mark for objects of russian or austro-hungarian origin POLAND 1920-1963 2nd class parts of imported gold armlets POLAND 1920-1931 2nd class parts of gold jewelry POLAND 1920-1931 on 2nd class parts of gold chains POLAND 1920-1931 small chains and armlets of gold; the number gives...

i can't see silver cutting through bone can you?
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buff a local "antique shoppe" owner, 85, always has everything scrubbed and grazed and is gone over with a flame thrower and then buffed, after which some of the things appear to be coated with a lacquer. makes my teeth curl. if you read any of the excellent recommendationas on cleaning si...

the 875 is a design number - "C" perhaps refers to its being "covered". the designation "STERLING" is what you usually see on american sterling.

louise two things: because there are numerous goldsmiths there is duplication of initials and so they use different styles of letters, the cartouche ("frame" around the letters) etc. - the best thing will be to get a really sharp picture. try this: open scanner lid, set resolution as high ...

please post an image of the picture contained in this locket.
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there are two other antique mazarines that are fairly similar to one another, by storr and by burwash, and two or three george jensens. the strainer by burwash is much more ornate than storr's. not too common an object.
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well my browser now is cooperating - definitely contemp. spanish "damascened" work - enter the search terms "spanish damascened" in your browser for many examples

not too clear but from what i can see it would appear that this is contemporary spanish metalware of the damascened type - with faux mother of pearl.

this is a pretty collectible. the characters 1/20 12k gf means that 5 per cent of 12/24kt gold is "filled" vs rolled in other words, 5 per cent of 50% gold, or 25 parts out of a thousand, is incorporated into the metal to give it cachet. the manufacturer might have claimed that this made i...

not gold, this is a base metal overlaid with 1/5th of 9 ct gold - as it says - which means 20% of 9/24ths of the overlay is gold. if 24 carat is pure gold, then 9 ct is .375 or 375 of 1000 parts gold. if you then take 20 % of that, you have 75 one-thousandths parts gold that are among the other meta...

style and size

i would be sirprised to hear of a native american silversmith using 12K gold filled (GF) metal.
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mazarines
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very well loved brooch: the swan-shaped tubing is definitely silverplated and worn in spots central section, neptune with triton etc seems to be cut from a medallion and - while probably plated - might be silver tho not sterling, with gold plating in parts three pendent discs with gold plated frog/c...

A swirly brooch hand hammered and with an extra lethal pin.



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i always knew this as a clapper. goes to show that there are more words under heaven and earth, horatio . . .
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hello bonaccini colonial american silver can be tricky if one uses stylistic pointers to date it because there was usually a lag of a generation or more - or twenty-five or so years - between the style's appearance in europe and its assimilation into colonial america. so if you apply that knowledge ...