Hi Michelle - determine if the marks are British or American. This is not always easy!
American manufacturers used to imitate not only styles and the metal quality of british jewelry but also American maker's can look very similar to British maker's marks (before standardization in the US in 1906). Prior to 1906, marks on jewellery were imitated because of the association of British manufacture and quality.
The most well-known of these marks is the famous Gorham Manufacturing Co., hallmarks, featuring a walking lion, an anchor and an Old English style capital G, looking very much like a Birmingham hallmark for 1830.
Most American maker's marks can be found in Dorothy Rainwater's American Jewelry Manufacturers
The left facing walking lion is usually associated with english hallmark for sterling silver. There are however exceptions.
