Silver Hallmarks On Antique Jewelry

This is not a terribly long post...but I just wanted to share a site that I use quite often. It is
www.925-1000.com. I find this site so useful! It has silver hallmarks from all over the world and the site is very easy to navigate! If you will follow their step by step instructions...it will be fairly clear how to use all of the charts and pages. Below are some examples of antique British silver jewelry.

A Beautiful Silver Victorian Locket

This is the back of the locket.

The maker's mark is the "S. Bros". I believe that the maker's mark is for Sydenham Brothers...However the maker's marks can sometimes be open for interpretation as so many look like other marks. Below the maker's mark is the anchor showing that the piece is silver. Followed by the "q". That is the letter for the year 1890. The lion is for Birmingham, England. So...if I did that correctly...this is the right information for this locket.

With the pin below, we kind of have somewhat of an idea about what year the pin was produced...because of the subject. This pin was made to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee...50 years of reign in 1887...The date is on the front? Right? Well once again if I did the charts correctly, this pin was actually made the year before in 1886. (In preparation for the event.)

Oddly enough...I think that we have the same maker's mark as the locket shown above! I purchased both of these pieces separately and many years apart.

A Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Pin Commemorating 50 years of reign.

This is a trick that I use that may help you...Having trouble seeing a mark on a piece? Even with a close up shot? You can make the photo negative...9 out of 10 times...you can see the image more clearly! I know! Who would have thunk it! It does help!

I hope that this has been a useful post! I know some of you will be offended by this photo...but sorry...it cracks me up! All of this talk about England...well...this has always reminded me of a "baby Winston Churchill"...or my Uncle Jimmy. :) I in no way, shape or form endorse children smoking! No disrespect intended!

God Save The Queen!