The Hallmark Society A field guide to antique and vintage jewelry

Tools

Hallmark decoder

Type what is struck into the metal. Figures, words, or the shape you can see. If your piece has no marks at all, search for unmarked - that is a finding too, not a dead end.

Fineness figures Country and office Standard marks Duty and import Not solid metal

Or narrow it to a country

LM 01 Sponsor Who registered it, not always the maker 925 02 Fineness Parts per thousand. 925 = sterling silver 03 Assay office Which office tested it. Leopard's head = London g 04 Date letter The year, read from the letter, font and shield Read together, the four punches give maker, metal, place and year. A single 925 on its own gives you only the metal.
Fig. 01 A full British hallmark is four punches read together. A lone figure such as 925 is not a hallmark at all, only a claim about the metal.

Where the marks actually are

Most people conclude a piece is unmarked after looking at the front. Marks are struck where they will not show and where the metal is thick enough to take a punch without distorting.

  • Rings. Inside the shank, usually at the bottom opposite the setting. If the ring has been sized, the marks are often the casualty.
  • Brooches. On the pin stem, on the catch, or on the flat of the frame near the hinge.
  • Earrings. On the post, the clip plate or the very edge of the back.
  • Chains and bracelets. On the clasp, on the jump ring beside it, or on a small separate tag. A marked clasp does not mark the chain: clasps are replaced constantly.
  • Pendants and lockets. On the bail, the rim, or inside the back cover.

Use a 10x loupe and raking light, not overhead light. Worn marks come back into legibility when the light comes from the side. Read more in the full guide to reading marks.

What this tool cannot do

It reads marks. It does not test metal. A stamp is a claim, and claims can be false, applied to the wrong piece, or perfectly genuine on a clasp that was soldered onto something else in 1974. Where the answer matters financially, an acid test, an XRF reading or a jeweler with a loupe settles it and a database never will.