Vintage Gold Jewelry Makers Marks

Maker s marks are the initials or name of the manufacturing firm or other representative symbol stamped into a gold silver or platinum item.

Vintage gold jewelry makers marks. We start with austria and end with the united states. Silver jewelry marks learn to identify and date antique and vine jewelry maker s marks a collector jewelry maker s marks identification gold st makers marks c replays and things antique and vine jewelry maker s marks a collector. Have a look at your piece of jewellery. When problems arise the maker or company can be identified and held responsible.

Look for a number followed by k for example 12k using a loupe or magnifying glass. Also called trademarks they often provide the only evidence that a certain piece of jewelry has indeed been manufactured by a certain jewelry maker. A brief history to be considered an antique a piece of jewelry must be 100 years or older while vintage jewelry must be more than 20 years old to be classified as such. You can look for marks but frequently the jewelry only bears the mark of the company they worked for.

If the jewelry is marked 10k that s. American jewelry is often marked by karat stamped into the inside of a ring or bracelet on the edge of earrings or the back of a charm. Country search can be initiated by selecting the country button below. If it was made in a country that adheres to the convention on the control and marking of articles of precious metals otherwise known as the common control mark you should find a set of hallmarks stamps.

Use the number marks on gold jewelry to learn more about it. Patent numbers are especially helpful when dating older vintage jewelry and will be covered in a separate article in this series. Vintage costume jewelry usually doesn t have purity marks but will often have a maker s mark commonly called the signature and can sometimes have a retailer mark and or patent or inventory marks. This list is sorted alphabetically and by country.

Jewelry maker s marks database traditionally the maker s mark is the main responsibility mark for the gold or platinum silver content of an artifact. Sterling silver for instance will have a mark of 925 this signifies that the piece of jewelry maintains a silver content of no less than 92 5 silver. City or country where a maker worked or originated this information is not usually contained within the mark but it s something you may know or intuit based on other marks keep adding information to narrow down your results. However if you do find the marks this list below of over 180 vintage jewelry and metal designers may help you identify how old they are.