Featured Please ID if British? Maker? Hallmarks?

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by Scott Ackerman, Jan 22, 2023.

  1. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

  2. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Yup, British. Birmingham I think, the date looks 1929
     
  3. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    The photos are dark and a bit blurred, but I see the Sheffield crown.
     
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  4. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

    I apologize for the weak images.
    With the inner band so worn (+ my vision issues), makes it impossible for me to read them.
    Could anyone confirm who the Maker is?
    Does the Maker or Lion/Crown hallmark identify to being British?
    Any guess to the 2nd hallmark?
    Any guess to the 4th 'E' hallmark?
     
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  5. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    In this instance, the crown indicates 18 ct gold and Birmingham, I think. If it were Sheffield, then it would be a year when the duty head was needed, and I'm not seeing one.

    The lion means British. E is the date letter. Crown means gold, you're missing the assay office mark. I can't find JEK as a maker.
     
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  6. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    I believe OBB & AJ already have it, but these might be SLIGHTY clearer.....

    Screenshot 2023-01-21 at 6.42.22 PM-sharpen-Focus.jpg

    Screenshot 2023-01-21 at 6.41.45 PM-sharpen-Softness.jpg
     
  7. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

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  8. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

    Owing to the wear & family connection, I thought it would be much older (but you are far more knowledgeable than myself.
     
  9. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

    Could the Hallmark beside the lion be the "duty head" or "assay office mark" you mentioned?
    Does the "E" year hallmark apply to both Birmingham & Sheffield, and do both support OBB's 1929?
    It's a pity the maker & 2nd hallmark are relatively obscure & was hoping that someone has/had/aware of similar markings.
     
  10. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    family stories have a way of getting out of hand....
     
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  11. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

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  12. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    looks like someone wrote....date??

    under the date mark.....:wacky::wacky:
     
  13. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Each assay office has its own set of date letters, although these have got rather more standardised of late. Yes, Sheffield did use a similar E, but that would have been 1872 so it would have had Queen Victoria's head as well. The lion shape looks wrong for then, too.
     
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  14. LucyLocket

    LucyLocket Well-Known Member

    The crown was used for Sheffield - anchor for Birmingham. It would seem that the only years a capital E was used for Sheffield were 1799, 1848 & 1872 (also 1947 but that is a very different style E). 1799 can be discounted as the lozenges were a different shape. I wonder if the mark between the lion and the crown is a duty mark or a very unclear queen?
    The makers mark looks like JEC & co to me and the only maker with those initials that I can find was JE Caldwell who set up business in Philadelphia in around 1839. I believe some US goldsmiths sent their wares to be hallmarked in England.
     
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  15. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    The crown is the gold standard, when the anchor or other assay town mark may or be not be present. Looking again at that very worn mark, I think it's a worn 18 mark.

    On gold, Sheffield used a rose rather than the crown and didn't hallmark gold till 1904.

    Just for clarity: I didn't explain it that well in my first reply!

    image0 small.jpeg image1 small.jpeg
     
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  16. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

    I am unfortunately not able to discern any handwriting komokwa.
     
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  17. Scott Ackerman

    Scott Ackerman New Member

    Thanks to the photo enhancements by Aquitaine;
    The mark between the lion & crown almost appears to be a "16", and if so, provides intrigue.
    I would agree that based on https://www.langantiques.com/university/j-e-caldwell/, it is JEC & Co but also intriguing is the ring is gold Vs silver.
     
  18. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    If it looks like a 16, then it's 18. And it's gold. I doubt very much that it's Caldwell. The mark is quite different, but more crucially, it isn't the design or quality of their work, pretty as it is. It's a typical wedding ring from the 20s. There were literally thousands of jobbing jewellers, especially in the Birmingham Gold Quarter. Many aren't recorded.
     
  19. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    @komokwa, I DO see something, first a crown or a "W" ABOVE the E, and THEN below the E, yes, some writing/printing, but looks like letters to me......top image NOT enhanced other than enlarged online and took a screenshot, but BOTTOM image I traced in soft black what I 'thought' might be the letters....."possibly" .....d?ENHM...then too dark for me if there was anything after.....not sure what else may be in the area...I am SO NOT GREAT at interpreting OTHER than what I see, @Ownedbybear and the other marking experts are SO GOOD at this, I hesitate to get too, what...."picky"?????

    MARKING-2A.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2023
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  20. LucyLocket

    LucyLocket Well-Known Member

    Whoops - think I may have mixed up my gold & silver marks!
    I didn't say that it WAS Caldwell - just that it was the only maker I could find with those initials!
     
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