It’s called filigree work. I don’t think it’s possible to name a country known for it, but I first came across this sort of work in Malta.
Filigree—got it. Good to know.
Both Italy and Spain made a lot of Filligree around 1930 on. It was very fashionable with english working people but was mostly made from plated or nickel wire or 800 marked silver known in the uk as european silver . it was usually made into flowers or butterflies and was popular for about 15 years.
I think it’s such a beautiful art form, SamanthaAnn. Especially after going through hundreds of typical spoons and then pulling out one so different than the others. It made my introduction to filigree all the more dramatic.
Thanks for the information.
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More non-UK spoons to identify, obviously of Dutch origin since the heralds—there a seven spoons—say Nederland, Breda, Zeeland (X 2), Limburg, N. Holland, and Utrecht. Are these silver?
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I almost missed this hallmark on a one-inch, 1.3g crucifix, the stamping being the smallest I’ve run across so far (the tip of a standard toothpick for scale). Made in 9K gold by Payton, Pepper & Sons Ltd., Birmingham, 1861. The maker’s mark (PPLD) appears in a different location in a much larger typeface.
Two identical ladles. Obviously Birmingham but are these even UK sterling? Perhaps American hallmarks because of the inclusion of STERLING?
I was able to date that Birks-Ellis (Gorham) loving cup, mentioned earlier in this thread, based on this Birks Sterling Silver Marks list. It’s 1939.
Your “obviously Birmingham” are, to me, obviously not Birmingham. UK hallmarks always use cameo punches (at least before laser marking came in). These marks are part of the moulding of the piece. The other give-away is the word “sterling”. This is hardly ever used on British silver but is pretty well always found on North American silver. The first one with E is probably P W Ellis & Co of Toronto. They were taken over by Birks in 1928. I suspect that the other one may be a Birks mark but I can’t find confirmation anywhere.
Well, Phil, hallmarks can be confusing thing to a newbie like me! I did suspect it was American/Canadian silver because of the word STERLING.
I need to ask: What is a cameo punch? Is that what surrounds a hallmark?
Here’s a spoon with the same ‘E’, but surrounded by what might be a cameo punch. And why the inclusion of the anchor hallmark (which I mistook for Birmingham)? I’ve seen the anchor on a number of pieces marked STERLING, some of which aren’t related to Birks or its predecessors.
A cameo punch is where the lettering is raised with the surround depressed much like in your recent picture except that those marks are moulded, not punched. The mark you have just posted is definitely P W Ellis & Co. The anchor mark is not exclusive to Birmingham and can be found in many hallmarks and manufacturers’ marks.
Moulded, not punched—obviously an important distinction; one I must pay attention to.
I found this short article about the anchor hallmark, with no mention of Birmingham. I also just read that Gorham used the anchor because of its base in Rhode Island, but obviously the anchor was used long before the company was established. To quote from the article, “The anchor symbol was chosen because it was a symbol of stability and reliability.”
Never again will I automatically associate it with Birmingham!
A Birks hallmark dating a fork to 1957. So much of the vintage flatware—and other items—from my mom’s estate are from Birks, but very rarely have I seen this hallmarking method. It makes me wonder why the company used it inconsistently.
A Birks spoon dated 1963. As per what’s online, in 1925 the company received permission from the London assay office to mark their sterling with a date letter that corresponded to what was used by the London assay office. I’m not sure, though, how long Birks continued doing this. As mentioned, the company used this dating method inconsistently.
This begs a question: If such Birks pieces, let’s say, were imported into the UK, wouldn’t an import duty mark be required?
I’m trying to see the logic of why so many Birks sterling pieces in the estate never used the London date mark.
As your most recnt picture shows N & S either side of the B that suggests to me that the spoon is not even electroplated - NS would stand for nickel silver, a base metal alloy.
With regard to your earlier query any imported silver would be marked with the import mark for the relevant assay office. It does not show that duty has been paid, merely that it was produced outside the UK. The use of the same date letters as used by the LAO has no significance for importation - the full hallmark would still be required with, of course, the substitution of the assay office’s normal office mark with its import version.
Birks did open a London branch in 1925, correlating with their adoption of the London assay office dating method. Is there any chance that the company didn’t require an import duty mark because it was based in a Commonwealth country?
I do know, for example, that at one time Canadian films could be distributed in the UK to fulfill the country’s quota system and not be classified as foreign by the British Board of Film Censors.