Vintage Silver

The precious metal silver, like gold and platinum, is too soft to be used for jewelry and other items in its pure form. For this reason, it is always mixed with an alloy to make it stronger. Because it is so easy for manufacturers of silverware to reduce the silver content and save on the expensive precious metal, hallmarking was introduced as a way to ensure that the buyer would know what the silver content of the item was. When you are buying vintage silver, it is useful to know what the different hallmarks mean.

In England, the practice of putting hallmarks on silver items began in the fourteenth century. Originally, only the silver which met the required standard was marked, but over time different marks were developed to indicate different metal contents. An assay office tests the quality of the metal. Some hallmarks also contain the maker’s mark, although different countries use different systems which vary in complexity in what information is conveyed. Vintage silver items could have very different marks depending on their origin.

Sterling silver is a high quality alloy made up of 92.5% silver and 7.5% base metal, which is most often copper. The hallmark showing sterling silver is the lion passant (a figure of a walking lion) in England, and in America the mark is sometimes “sterling”. Other qualities of silver are often represented by numbers which indicate their finesse or quality; sterling silver is 925. Look out for these signs when buying vintage silver items.

When examining vintage silver, identifying the hallmark can give you a range of information. An item from England might initially seem to have a complex system of marks but if you can interpret them, you can find out quite a bit of information about the item. Most British hallmarks have a city mark to show where the item was manufactured, an assayer’s mark indicating the quality of the silver, a date mark and sometimes a marker’s mark and a mark from the particular assay office which did the checking.

In America, there is not a hallmark system which has been adopted although many manufacturers leave a maker’s mark. Before 1906, there was no law about stamping your item with an assay mark. The United States National Stamping Act of 1906, however, made it illegal to stamp an item with anything that gave the impression that the government had approved the quality of the metal. When investing in vintage silver from America, bare this in mind if you have an item from before 1906.

JAK Silver has a collection of Georg Jensen silver, including some vintage silver pieces dating back to the 1904-1908 period. Georg Jensen was a Danish silversmith who found much popularity with his Art Nouveau creations. He opened his own smithy in 1904 and by the time he died in 1935, his firm had a reputation for artistry and craftsmanship which it has maintained until this day.

Items from Georg Jensen carry a maker’s mark. Some also have marks belonging to the designers. JAK Silver has items designed by Georg Jensen, Johan Rohde and Gundorph Albertus, amongst others. Hallmarks provide a useful way of assessing the quality and vintage of the silver and JAK Silver stands by the authenticity of the hallmarks of the items they sell.