Maker PPM (?) on 1980 (?) London ring - some questions

[iris66]

Thanks to this wonderful website I'm checking out the marks on my jewelry, and having loads of fun - thank you all for this great resource!

I'm hoping for some input on this ring (clickable thumbnail):


I always assumed this was a 1930/40s ring, and so did the jeweler it was bought from in 2002 (in the Netherlands).

However, studying the marks it seems to be assayed in London, in 1980. This is the best picture of the marks I could get, I'm sorry it's still not very good.


The marks are quite hard to see even with a decent loupe, but:
- the first mark could be a crown (or an oval with the letters AP in it, but that doesn't make much sense?)
- the second mark is 750
- the third mark is the London office mark, the uncrowned leopard
- the final mark, after a day of squinting definitely looks like the script F for 1980 (a pound sign upside down).

The reserve shapes are a little messy but look to be squares with the corners cut off.

On the other side of the ring, there is a sole mark which I guess would be the maker's mark:

It reads P on top, P bottom left, and probably M bottom right (although I sometimes also see it as an N, or a W, or an H).

I'm still adjusting to the idea of the ring being from 1980 rather than from the 30s/40s, but getting there ;-). It is entirely possible that it was made in 1980 in this art deco style, right?

I have a few questions that arose when I was looking at this:

1. I've seen it mentioned a few times on the forums that the reserve shapes can be different for gold and silver marks - but where would I find how they are different?

2. I know that chances are slim that someone here will know who the maker 'PPM' is, and that I can try writing to the London assay office for modern makers, but in general, how would a person go about trying to find a maker? There is a substantial book in my university library that has the (older) British maker marks for silversmiths, but I'm having a hard time tracking down a book with maker marks for goldsmiths. Maybe I'm not looking for the right thing, or looking in the wrong place. Would schools for goldsmiths have libraries with books like these?

Thank you so much for any thoughts, and for this place as a whole - it is wonderful.
Iris
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[MCB]

Hello Iris,
Welcome to the forum.
There's a list of London gold & silver assay marks in "Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks of England Scotland & Ireland" published by Antique Collectors Club.
To my knowledge there is, as yet, no published work on London sponsor/maker marks for dates after 1914. The reason the forum can suggest attribution for later dates is because members have investigated for themselves and keep their own lists. I'm sorry but my list doesn't cover PPM or such so the place to try is the Assay Office direct.
Unfortunately the image isn't too clear. The first mark ought to be a crown but it might be an import mark. See the forum's Import Mark page. The second mark 750=18 carat gold. The third mark certainly looks like the leopard's head for London and the fourth mark the script "F" for 1980.
The style of a piece doesn't necessarily indicate date of manufacture as makers repeat styles for years.
Hope this helps.
Mike
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[iris66]

Hi Mike,

Thank you, that is very helpful.

The first mark is definitely not the post-1904 import mark for London as given here. I would be looking for a London import mark I guess? Or could a different country stamp their import mark next to London marks, without adding their own marks for the rest of the information?

I am sorry about the (lack of) quality of the image. Most of the marks aren't very clear to me in real life, either. I'm not sure if they're worn (the ring is well-loved, I wear it every day and I understand the previous owner did the same) or if it's just that my loupe and camera fall short. I'm thinking about investing in a USB microscope, that would be fun to have anyway. (More fun for me than a better camera).

The reason the forum can suggest attribution for later dates is because members have investigated for themselves and keep their own lists.

Ah, I see. I will make sure to report back what I hear from the assay office then.

Thanks!
Iris
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[MCB]

Hello again Iris,
It would be unlikely the first mark is other than one made in the UK. Four marks result from putting an item to assay and the ring has those. At a guess what you are looking at is a crown which has either become distorted by wear or, less likely, was a poorly struck mark in the first place.
All contributions to the forum's makers list are welcome. If you get a positive result from Goldsmiths Hall please post it.

Mike
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[iris66]

Thank you again, that makes sense.

I wrote to the London assay office, and they were very helpful and wrote back immediately that PPM is the mark of Presman Precious Metals, who first registered with them in 1977, and were registered until 2003.
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