Hallmark Determination

Horses for Courses - of Course - NOT!

Discussing hallmark determination, concerning a hallmark question about antique gold horse-head hallmarks at Antique Jewelry Investor Help Central , the conversation about when a horse head is not a horse head went something like this.........

"When it comes to antique jewelry hallmarks I'm pretty sure that I can show you at least 40 different horse heads. What direction does the head point to? Left? Right? Straight forward? Does it have a neck? Does it has flyaway hair?

Is its mouth open or closed? Is its eye or eyes open or closed, or one closed eye and one open? How are its nostrils, open or closed? Could it be a unicorn but badly struck so you don't see the horn? Perhaps it's a donkey and not a horse?

Is the mark in a cartouche or not? If it is in a cartouche what is the shape? Is there a number with it or a letter? Is that number in the cartouche our outside of it? What position is it, above or under? Is it a normal number or Roman? Is it a stamped hallmark or could it be an engraving? What proof do I have the customer is not mistaken in declaring it is stamped? Etc. Etc. Etc.

A horse is a horse is a horse of course ..... NOT :-) Pictures tell a thousand words....only with pictures, pictures from several positions of the piece that this gives me indications of what period and what area I have to think about in the determination of the hallmarks.

It is the expert's duty to keep in charge of the way of working and if not, there is no quality.

You have to distrust any hallmark determination by anyone who will give an opinion just on a description made by a layman and not what he sees himself. Only with enough pictures!"

Elkan Wijnberg, http://www.adin.be

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