Common to not hallmark ?

[dartsil]

Hello all,

I was wondering, when it comes to gold and in this instance a vinaigrette which is not marked at all, was this common on such pieces of gold?

To me as it stands and I have been over every mm of it with a loupe its gold all day long, yellow and rose gold. Obviously without marks its impossible to date with accuracy, does anyone recognise the style etc .

I am thinking of submitting for assay but just wanted to know if such items were made from gold and not always marked?


Thanks in advance,

Regards,

Colin

[AG2012]

Hi,
Beautiful piece !
It was attached to a Victorian chatelaine (chain) and the marks were probably struck on the chain.
Why Victorian ? Because it`s very ornate plus the heart and the way the chain was made, conforming to the taste of 19th century.
Unfortunately, it`s impossible to locate the country of origin, could be both British and continental where legislation was not always strictly followed in many countries.
Gold fineness would be interesting to determine, electronic testing without any damage, although simple acid test on black stone is also harmless.
Regards

[dartsil]

Thanks Ag for your thoughts.

I think I will hand it into Edinburgh Assay Office for testing and marking, the downside is an old piece is going to have modern marks if it passes assay which I believe it will.