White Metal “MB” mark and “JA” with “cross” maker.

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello, I recently bought the remains of what I believed to be an incomplete silver plated cafetiere. I cleaned it up and replaced the glass. There are marks on the top and the lower metal pieces and photos are below.





I see the “MB” that I think is the French “metal blanc” (“white metal”) and a “JA” maker’s mark. However the “JA” is in a “lozenge” cartouche and I thought, that particular shape, was to indicate the maker of a French silver item. I have questions now. Is it French? Were silversmiths able to use their usual mark on silver plated items? Does the silversmith’s mark indicate the item is silver but it is not of the correct level of silver to reach the lower silver standard? Finally who owned the mark “J” and “A” flanking a “cross buttony”? Hope this post is of interest to other forum viewers.
Fishless