www.925-1000.com

I recently purchased a Thai niello bracelet, with an interesting maker's mark that I cannot find any information on. On the inside of the bracelet, it is marked:

STERLING95
BANGKOKSIA

A few questions I was hoping to get some answers on:

• Does anyone know of the maker BANGKOKSIA? I couldn't find any info online. I'm assuming it's Thai, and it looks old. Normally, Thai silver is marked Siam Sterling or Thailand Sterling, depending on year, but this one is neither. I guess we know it's made somewhere in Bangkok?
• Does STERLING95 mean it's 950 silver, i.e. 95% silver? I know a lot of the Japanese silver is 950, and I've heard that Thai silver is known for its higher silver content. But the STERLING95 is missing a "0" at the end, so I'm not sure.
• Is niello safe? I've read online that it contains lead, which is pretty bad. I will certainly keep it away from the kiddos. But I guess my question is whether it is so bad that I shouldn't even keep it in the house? I've also read that niello also contains silver. Does anyone know what that silver content is likely to be in Thai niello?

Images are below. Thank you in advance!

Hi,
Never heard of Bangkoksia but the provenance is more than certain: it was made in Bangkok.
There no such a thing as niello poisoning, unless you are a silversmith working in poorely ventilated room full of lead-contaminated dust, inhaled for years.
For some people sterling is often a wrong synonim for solid silver, so sterling 950 could be commercially justified.
Regards

Found abbreviation "BANGKOK, SIA" as early as 1876 (today's Thailand/ex Siam being within the greater SIAM of older days): https://books.google.com/books?pg=PA420 ... utput=text

Possibly there was last letter M on the rght (bangkoksiam) then it`s prior to 1939 when the name changed to Thailand.
Regards

Though this may be an earlier piece, the heyday for Siamese niello jewelry was post WWII, with 'Siam' used on the niello and enamel jewelry, etc., as well as the ubiquitous bronze flatware sets, for decades past the last official name change to 'Thailand' in 1949 - my Vietnam Vet brother sent a pair of earrings from a late '60s R&R in Thailand, marked 'Siam Sterling'...

~Cheryl

it seems that BANGKOKSIA is a trademark.

~Cheryl is right about dating; Siam and Thailand were indiscriminately, arbitrary used, sometimes both names on the same piece, or Thailand on box, and Siam on silver.
Of course, sellers always claim their pieces were made prior to forties if marked Siam, which is obviously wrong.

Thank you, all!