Featured Interesting skull watch - is it fake?

Hi guys
I found an interesting skull watch at online auction.However Im not sure if this is real or fake. The essayer mark shows 1854 but it comes in Nikolai Linden box- a jewerly company that was founded in 1892?

 

Fantastic piece
Seems legit, original box, masonic symbole on top of skull it seems!
Please post pics of the inside of the cover where there is an engraving, and of top of skull for the masonic symbol to full seeing
Calling @DragonflyWink for the hallmarks

 

This one in this link seems to be a marriage!
Fake in my opinion:
http://pocketwatchcase.us/tag/skull/

Edit to add the EBay listing, Turkey based seller...
FAKE WARNING
https://m.ebay.fr/itm/Antique-Memen...e&pageci=e8bc4f8c-cbff-478a-a1a2-f4d82f519dd2

 

The watch itself is not engraved with any makers mark...I really like this piece but I'm not sure about the hallmarks and box being a real set,or am I wrong?

 

Found interesting things from the "logo"!


http://heimbich.tripod.com/RAELMASN.HTM
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky

Theosophical Society, founded by Helena Blavatsky, Russian!

 

From the box inscriptions

Traduction from image, screenshot:

Now to search for the jeweller Nikolai LIDENT!

Found NOTHING, we'll need help from Russian traductors

 

Thank you,that is interesting I wonder why it is in a box from jewler who started his workshop in 1892, while silver hallmark shows 1854

 

There has been a trend for skull jewellery etc for some time. Generally sold as antique, but clearly made yesterday, so to speak. I see a lot of it from Bulgarian sellers, pretty close to both Turkey and Russia.
Not saying this is it, but be careful with silver skull and memento mori items.

 

There's an eBay seller from that part of the world who seems to have a limitless supply of expensive memento mori cameo rings.

 

Looks like there's a letter unaccounted for in the transliteration. Nikolai Li_dent.

 

Yes,I have see lots of russian fakes on ebay,all from Bulgaria or Israel

 

Fake or not,its fabulous !

 

Eh, I'm no expert on Russian silver, a complicated field filled with fakes, much of it, like this piece, not even well done (or just truly bizarre, like the musical 'Moses' box with torah pointer posted a while ago by the OP). Don't have the time or inclination right now to go into the issues here, and really see no point in delving any further than the immediately definitive indication of fakery, that the center mark, the notched dvoinik assay mark, was not instituted until 1882, and it would not have been used with the dated 'initials' assay mark (plus, the one here is dated 28 years prior to use of the dvoinik).

~Cheryl

 

Thank you Cheryl.That means end of topic I'm always interested in unusual pieces but it seems impossible to find a true antiques, fakes everywhere

 

Ha! I was excited, but I knew you'll end up with the truth by your expertise of silver marks thanks!!!

 

Thank you all guys

 

Unfortunately many people are interested in unusual pieces, and the fakers know that. If your interest is in Russian silver and things esoteric, that is a double minefield.

 

It's Nikolai Linden -- the last character in Russian is a "hard sign" -- not a letter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_sign

It used to be used in Russian in the Imperial era much more often than it was used after 1918 when the Russian alphabet was changed.

I found an online catalog for the company, and that page also mentions it was founded in 1892. https://www.bukowskis.com/en/auctions/F163/445-a-jewellery-catalogue

This item is already considered a fake, but thought I'd give more info.

 

I remember you taught me some of this when you worked out the inscription on the back of the cameo of Alexei Olenin for me. I'll probably never manage to remember.