Help with French hallmarks

PHOTOS REQUIRED - marks + item
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mintymin
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:09 pm

Help with French hallmarks

Post by mintymin »

Hi all
Haven’t posted for a while but could do with your help again.
I recently bought this pendant and it said Austro-Hungarian on the ticket. On closer inspection I can see what looks like a french crab mark.
Could it be French?
There are 2 other marks I don’t know and would appreciate your expertise
One looks like a leaf but the other is really difficult to see. I have photographed it as best as I can get but no matter how I look at it I can’t make sense of it
Many thanks

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Georg
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 5:12 am

Re: Help with French hallmarks

Post by Georg »

Hi,

I am afraid I will not be of much help as I am rather new here.
Yes, your first mark looks like the crab, French mark used after 1838.
Yes, your second mark resembles a leaf.
The leaf was used in France between 1819 and 1838 for marking foreign objects.
However, your leaf does not resemble that leaf very much.
Third mark is blurred, and this is probably the main problem here.
I think you should try to clean the marks and to take photo with macro or magnifying lens
to obtain clearer images of the punches.
Then you may get help here.

Sorry not to have better news,

G.
bijoux.expert
contributor
Posts: 42
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:37 am
Location: Paris, France

Re: Help with French hallmarks

Post by bijoux.expert »

Hello,
Your cross is a standard cross from Normandy called a Saint-Lo cross, in silver and Rhinestones. These are quite common, you can find more information on these crosses in the book Traditional French Jewellery.
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The hallmark of a crab was used after 1838 in the provinces, perhaps you can distinguish a small mark between the claws which can help you to identify the assay office.
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