I recently bought a platinum 850 kihei bracelet from someone in Berkeley, California. As many of you know, there is a large Asian population in this area so finding Far East silver and gold goods is not uncommon.
What is more uncommon is to find pieces from Japan--particularly in platinum. I bought the chain then and there because I am familiar enough with these things to know that it was authentic--or at least not lead. A specific gravity test confirmed it as at least an allow of platinum.
However, I'm less familiar with the makers of these chains. As you can see, there is a mark of a swallow on the back of the finding. See the photos.
After Googling and other internet research, I can across davidross' and dognose's entries http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24259&start=100
I can't seem to find any additional information regarding whether or not Hattori Kintaro (or Seiko) made these chains. Platinum, to my knowledge, did not even make it to Japan until at least the middle of the century. Short of contacting someone in Japan and seeking out expert advise, I'm at a complete loss. Does anyone have any more information?
Thanks a bunch.
