Jewellery Detective: Early Australian Hallmarks
Hello Jewellery and history lovers,
I am excited to be back this year for more detective work with you & thrilled today to be delving into the world of early Australian jewellery which is a closely guarded area of expertise. So much of the beginnings of our countries jewellery history is lost to the sands of times but thanks to a few trail blazers we are lucky enough to have some historical text books to reference.
I was first aware of the importance and value of early Australian jewellery about eight years ago and it coincided with finding my first piece and having no idea what the symbols were. Thanks to the the Internet I was able to find a small reference to early Australian jewellery because this information was not common knowledge and often only known by jewellers and collectors. So I set out to learn more and that brought me to my first book : Australian Jewellery 19th and early 20th Century by Anne Schofield & Kevin Fahy. It was full of historical information and the known makers and their marks from these periods. It explained that Hallmarks were introduced via the manufacturing Jewellers Association of VIC and other states like QLD and NSW later on.
The members registered their marks to give their buyer confidence in the standard of goods and to protect their consumers from fraud. In this period gold was becoming abundant due to the Gold Rush so confidence was really needed in this market.
Early Australian hallmarks feature three main marks,
- Members stamp (symbol chosen)
- Carat number (9ct, 12ct ,15ct ,18ct)
- Quality symbol for that carat (Wheat Sheaf, Pick and Shovel, Hanging sheep, Ship)
This information above and this simple advertisement page below gave me the basics to understand what I was looking at and some well known members to keep an eye out for. There are many later variations and a lot of goldsmith that were not members that simple used their names or their own symbols so it was fairly unregulated as time went on.
I later learned of another valuable reference book called Australian Jewellers, Gold & Silversmiths - Makers & Marks by CAVILL, Kenneth, Graham COCKS and Jack GRACE, however it was very rare and often thousands of dollars at auction. In my travels I met a wonderful like minded seller that gifted me a copy of this book and it has been such a joy to hold such valuable information and to share it with everyone of you.
I have myself developed a small personal collection of our countries early jewellery history which I treasure and will share in the future! I am also proud to have rehomed and shared the history of over 30 early Australian pieces that were heading to be melted for scrap. Today I am excited to share a small collection available that has taken 12 months to collect and I will be sharing them and their history today with you!
W.F COLE Shield signet ring c1910
This simple yet extremely wearable solid signet holds so much history. Hallmarked on the reverse with the Anvil symbol for Early Australian makers W F Cole (also used by Hiddleson). There is a small mention of this company in the more recent book but it has a whole page in the later book on them so it really pays to have both! In business from 1901-1988 this Brisbane based company was supplying long established companies like A Cocks, A.Benjamin and Prouds. Cole used the 'Anvil' as his Mark from the 1900s and usually accompanied by a letter depending on who it was made for. The business continued to flourish in the 1920s and soon Walter Cole was made the President of the Manufacturing jewellers association of Queensland. This beauty is so comfortable and smooth and made to mould to the finger. She has some wear which is to be expected for her 125yrs of age. Please clink here to see full Listing.
Macrow & Sons star set sapphire band c1910
This piece was such an exciting find as I have held a similar three stone design by the same maker 'Macrow and Son' However this beauty needed some TLC as she came with a red glass replacement that was too deep for the setting and it had been poorly reset with solders. Considering the ring boast a beautiful crisp Hallmark advertising 'Real Gems' I knew I hade to fix her up. Luckily I had the perfect gem to pay homage to it's origins, a gorgeous rose cut Australian sapphire. My jeweller lovingly reset her and redid the star setting how it would have been originally and et viola she is ready to live another life!
Macro and sons was a Melbourne based company in business from 1891 to 1920. It is claimed they were the first substantial retail chain operating throughout Australia with some 15 stores in Victoria alone at their peak.
You can also see one of their original advertisements with this exact ring on the photos I believe it would have originally had a garnet in it but I love that an Aussie gem is still there in this rosecut sapphire. Please click Here for the full listing and to learn more about this companies history.
Bloodstone Lustre Signet c1950s
This piece is in fabulous condition and was likely made in the late 1950s. This simple yet wearable and classy bloodstone signet was made by a company called Lustre. LUSTRE Jewellery Mfg. Co. of Waverly Rd, Malvern, Vic was in operation from 1949 to 1960 and although my books do not have much history I was able to find this photo of their stalls at a jewellery fair to share with you. The blood stone is such a nice bright green with the typical red patternation and some delicate veins. Those leaf shaped shoulders are so attractive and really add some depth of design. Click here for the full listing.
Early Australian Parti Star c1910
This sweet star set parti sapphire is guaranteed to be your best friend with her heavy smooth shank and that sweet incredibly bright parti sitting atop her! Although this piece doesn't have any identifying early hallmarks she is c1910s and most definitely Australian. Her rosey gold tones suit the Australian sapphire colours beautifully. She originally had a cracked old low quality diamond so I knew she needed a revamp and this QLD sapphire was perfect! Some light wear to gold and the parti is straight from my collection of 1970s mined sapphires sits slightly beneath setting. Click here for full listing.
Aronson & Co Ruby & Diamond Band
Another slice of history saved from the scrap heap. This absolutely beautiful ring is by Early Australian company Aronson & Co. It features rubies and diamonds and has their early hallmark of the flag and the start of the 15ct Hallmark (please see below). It looks to have had a new shank at some stage in its life as there are some lines from a reshank and it likely lost some of the hallmarks then. Aronson and Co historically where one of the original founding members in Victoria and with over 13 pages dedicated to their history in my reference book when some companies only have a small paragraph it's safe to say they were very important. The company took advantage of the gold discoveries in Vic 1851 and built a considerable manufacturing business in the late 1800s and soon had businesses in Melb, London, Queensland, Sydney. Click here for full listing
Honestly after years of research I am still learning about our fantastic jewellery history and finding early Australian pieces in my travels. I even find many with marks that are not recorded in these books which may always remain a mystery to me. I hope you have learned some new things today in your journey as a jewellery detective and that you have enjoyed the pieces I have worked so hard to source.
My hope that sharing this knowledge helps these pieces survive and our history is not melted away. So now you know what to look for make sure you save as many as you can 😉 If you ever have questions send me an email or dm I love to chat Australian Jewellery history.
Until next time stay sharp detectives! Sarah x