Featured The GREATEST Sterling Silver Thrift Store Find EVER???

...at least for me!

We all know that finding sterling silver in a thrift store is rare (except for Mr. Nate--silver FOLLOWS him!). Yes, it can be found but, as I said, it's not common!

I came across this lovely swan at my local thrift store and to my shock, it has a set of hallmarks on the back. I didn't have my magnifier at the time but for only $7.99, I took a chance on it.

Much to my delight, the hallmarks on the back APPEAR to be sterling silver. Please have a look-see and let me know. It appears to be solid and weighs a hefty 420 delicious grams!

Any idea who made this? The retailer sticker is on the bottom. THANKS!

 

Your swan is not solid silver. It is constructed with a resin basin and a skin of silver. This is shown by the letter R in a square which stands for riempito (filled). The mark next to the R will identify the maker.

Phil

 

well...that's depressing! LOL thanks for the info

 

it was a good gamble.......& a learning experience..

 

It's still a deliciously sculpted bird & a very sane gamble-just don't eat the damn thing (bout the size of a game hen ?).
PS- @silvermakersmarks would you know how thick that skin of silver would be ?

 

Varies - 25 grams on this pretty piece. See number 14 here:
https://www.silvercollection.it/italianhallmarks.html

~Cheryl

 

Phi

Phil, If you can, would you clarify for me & others the nature of the work of Henryk Winograd? Marked 'HW999', I see his jewellery described both as solid silver & as repoussé. Doubt the former very much; if the latter, it has been filled in to add weight. Or are they heavy plating of fine silver over a molded impression taken in resin, plaster or some such? Do you know what the process was for something like this Perseus?

 

Still Beautiful and a nice buy at 7.99$ just as is........

 

If I read that site correctly, the resin can make up no more than 25% of the total weight. Wouldn't that mean that the swan contains quite a lot of silver? Or am I misreading?

Edit...nevermind. I think I understand my mistake. Putty can't be more than 25%, and the precious metal is a thin sheet.

 

I call it sterling silver tinfoil, when it comes to American "weighted" silver pieces. That means all but a tiny portion of the weight is anything except silver.

 

Nice finish here...

 

"This is an electro-formed bird filled with bonded porcelain and plated with a minimum of 100 microns of fine silver.
It is therefore eligible to carry Sterling Silver hallmarks from an independent assay office"...precious metals can be strange beasts.
PS-I'm not signing any contract drawn-up by this guy.

 

Wynograd stuff was a thin sheet of pure silver beaten into a mold. Most are then filled with plaster. Some (very few) were filled with molten sterling.

 

Thank you for that. Do you know whether pieces that actually are solid silver were marked differently in any way? I just bump into the pendants & pins because of my interest in cameos. Guessing none of those are solid, for all sellers would like to believe they are.

 

It's beautiful, and it's a beautiful thrift store find. I think you should feel very good with your purchase (of course it would be better if it was solid silver, but who cares). I imagine the thrill you must have felt, just hold on to that feeling and find it again. And I chuckled reading your post

Don't worry if others think it's a dud, because at the end of the day I think the hunting is the most fun, and it is a beautiful item. (GOD I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY SILVERPLATED THINGS I'VE BOUGHT....IT'S A LOT)

 

The only telling I know of would be the weight
Plaster much lighter