Jewellery Detective: Hallmark Investigation

by Sarah Malby

Hello to all my jewellery & history lovers!

In this blog we are going to talk about hallmarks and the brilliant system from the Hallmark Research Institution that can really help guide you when identifying hallmarks. They use the 5 S System consisting of strike, shape, style, standard & system to show you what to look for when trying to understand a Hallmark.

This is something I personally always go through with each piece I find and knowing what to focus on and what to eliminate can really narrow down your search quickly. So we will look at these five ways a hallmark can differ between countries and eras and some typical examples to help you remember and recognise them on your pieces. We wont go too in-depth as there is way too much to share in one blog.

The 5 S System : World Hallmarks Volume 1

  • Strike: The placement/orientation and quality of the Hallmark.

The location and arrangement of a hallmark can tell you so much about a piece. If it's on the inside of the band (most countries) or outside of the band this can narrow down which countries it could be from. The arrangement of the marks in relation to another mark can also hold valuable information like whether a piece is made of gold and platinum.

Example: Russian hallmarks like the below feature a star with hammer sickle punched on the outside of the band. This is the same for other countries including France and Poland to name a few. 

 

  • Shape: The Shape or style of the hallmark outline.

Whether its square, round or contoured this can also indicate which country a piece was hallmarked in and even the weight of pieces. Some countries have multiple shapes used over 100 of years and different sizes to tell us the weight of something

Examples: Polish hallmark shown in a hexagonal frame shape, also on the outside of the band. The shovel shape is another used by Russian (as above)

 

  • Style:  The design or imagery of the hallmarks

The design can include faces, animals, numbers, objects and buildings.

Example: French hallmarks often used animals including the eagle (below), boar, dog, swan and owl. Early Australians used a ship, wheat and hanging sheep. Polish rings often used a women or knights head (as above)

 

  • Standard: Representation of the metal fineness

The standard marks such as 9ct, 15ct, 18ct, 10k, 14k, 18k, 22k can also be displayed as parts per thousand being 333, 375, 585, 750. Which one is used can often tell you which countries the hallmark can be from so this is a valuable piece of information.

Example: Most Commonwealth countries, (Canada, UK, Australia, NZ etc) used 'ct' including 9ct, 18ct and even 12ct &15ct which are now discontinued (below 9ct Australian). Americans use K to denote the gold Karat and the lowest they use is 10k (below 10k). Germany even used 8ct or 333 so this is very recognisable (below)

 

  • System: Methodology of the hallmarks or how they are layed out

Once you know what to look for this can really help you quickly know where something is from. There are four main types to know below

 

  • Implied: If the hallmark frame outline is contoured to the image and there is no other information: Examples: France (below), Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland 


 

  • Symbolic: The hallmark uses a formal or national symbol with no other information: Examples: Germany (below), Malta and Norway. 




 

  • Inclusive: Features all the information inside a shape  Examples : Poland, Russia, Austria (below) ,Hungary, Latvia.


 

  • Sequential : A series of marks that convey the intended information, usually in a row or cluster: Examples: UK (below) Ireland, Scotland and Sweden)



 

    Okay, I know that is a lot to remember and unfortunately that is by no means everything there is to know. Each country also changed their hallmarks throughout their histories which can mean so many types to remeber. However if you know just these examples I shared then you will have a great start to understanding where and when your piece was made and by who. 

    Stay tuned for the next Jewellery Detective blogs we will focus on some specific countries starting with Italy.

    Sarah x

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