Featured Weekend haul. Maker of earrings? And 200 year old brooch

Really nice silver clips with what might be an indistinct maker's mark. I'm thinking maybe Mexican.

And I could see the brooch had a Chester hallmark. It's 1819. Which is rather cool.

 

Very nice, obb. I don't think Mexico, with that 'rough' back. Pity the maker's mark isn't clear, it could be something interesting.

It is also cool that it is Chester. Are you sure it isn't 1885 though? Similar year letter, only a bit more bold. Also more in keeping with the Aesthetic style of the brooch?

 

I squinted at it for hours. The city mark cartouche and stamp is what's swinging me to 1819 at the moment. If it wasn't so badly struck , the duty head would help.

The earrings are annoying me!

 

Nice pieces, but sorry Bear, have to agree with AJ here - 1885, Chester 1819 should also have a leopard-head, so with the maker's mark, full set would be six. Here's an image that even has the city mark on its side too:


https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/Chester/Date Letters B.html



~Cheryl

 

Cheryl, it's a crappy stamp, you can see the remnants of the missing bits. That'sa really useful image , I'll stare some more.

 

maker's mark--my best guess after enlarging: For the first one, all I can see are two lines forming an upside down "V, " the middle one: a "B," last one an "A." Addendum: could second one be a 3? and last one 4?

 

I'd plump for Israeli on those earrings. The backs look like things I've seen made in Israel. I haven't an earthly about the Chester brooch.

 

Regarding maker marks: I have some marks that are really hard to read...and am still working on it. Your photos are quite good. Someone suggested to me putting a magnifying glass over the mark and then taking the photo. One thing I like to do is use the "magnifier tool" in mac to enlarge the mark on my monitor.

 

I use a rug magnifier or my loupe to take the photos. The rug gizmo is older than I am but the lens is nice and sharp.

 

The problem with the brooch mark is it's partial. These photos were done with advanced macro and a Panasonic camera with a Leica lens. I've gone at the maker's mark with Photoshop, but it's not much help.

I think the chopped off bit next to the city stamp is the duty mark rather than the lion passant, which is entirely missing.

Israel is a thought on the earrings. Certainly says 34 and if it's a Hebrew character, that also makes sense.

 

It did cross my mind, but I would expect them to be more 'blobby' Brutalist if Israeli. But never say never.

 

Other than the initial incuse duty marks (1784-86 in Chester), believe a chamfered cartouche on silver duty marks would be atypical - perhaps just my own perception, but have a hard time seeing the marks as other than 1885...


Bit difficult to find actual images of 1819 Chester silver marks, but did find 1819 gold marks on a watch case and did a comparison:


https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/chester-hallmarks-photographed.162735/


And a comparison to the 1885 silver marks from Phil's site:


https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/Chester/Date Letters B.html


~Cheryl

 

Huge thanks as ever, Cheryl, I'm making it younger. 1885 it is. It's almost as though the hallmark was an afterthought.

 

Nothing like rejuvenating jewellery, and this is much easier than kyratisation.
It is a lovely brooch, and Chester marks make it more special anyway.

 

Yup, I tend to grab Chester on principle.

 

Good to have principles.

 

D'oh.

I think the earrings are meant to be menorah!

 

OMG!! Amazing insight!! Now that you pointed it out, I see a menorah too.

 

That's probably why I thought Israeli; the cross-hatching too. Didn't even think of a menorah (7-branch sort).

 

I wore them yesterday: when I took them off, it suddenly came to me!