Hallmarks, Trademarks, Maker's Marks, Touchmarks--What's The Difference?

This is rather dry material, but helpful in understanding descriptions of valuable objects.

The process of hallmarking originated in England, as long ago as the 13th century. Hallmarks officially indicate that the stamped item, of gold, silver, platinum, etc., underwent an assay and meet set standards of fineness.

Hallmarks are found, often on the bottom or inside of a piece, and are usually a set of more than one small, stamped symbol. In England, for an example, the symbols stand for the purity of the material, maker, assay office, and date. At this time, not all countries require hallmark schemes.


A trademark identifies the maker, manufacturer, or brand. This term is commonly used in the United States, but elsewhere is often called a maker's mark. In the USA, hallmarking is not a requirement, although if an item is stamped for fineness, a trademark must accompany to guarantee the claim.


A touchmark is defined as a trademark (maker's mark) stamped on pewter. A touch mark is a newer, legal definition of a trademark which is not visually perceived. An example of a touch mark would be a unique velvety covering on a perfume box. (D.H.)

Antique bracelet with Hand of  Fatima, Private Collection

PORTABLE TREASURIES: SILVER JEWELRY FROM THE NADLER COLLECTION, PART II

There is still time to catch this exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, NY, NY, before it's September 26 closing.

At the Portable Treasuries exhibition, I came away impressed by the massive size and weight of many of the pieces. This was also an opportunity for an overview of jewelry from three large geographic areas, and a chance to study tribal iconography and motifs. There is also a talismanic element to this jewelry, which is additionally intriguing.

The best example of weighty jewelry is the described Mien or Yao wedding cape, worn by brides, which can weigh 15 to 20 pounds and cost a year's wages. Among the beautiful motifs, one will see the repetition of fish and butterflies, representing fertility and reincarnation. Bats and dragons are commonly Asian. Arabic tribal jewelry is typically symmetrical and geometric, with repeating patterns. This jewelry might be accented by colored beads or enamels. The Hand of Fatima, employed as a protection from evil, is an example of a talisman commonly seen in North African jewelry. Sometimes there is a mixture in meaning of devices, such as Tuareg crosses, signifying Christianity, but also more ancient beliefs.

Don't miss this rare opportunity! The Museum will also host a gala preview of their contemporary art jewelry selling exhibition, LOOT! 2010, on October 20, 2010. (D.H.)

Ground Zero
Courtesy of NOAA, Wikimedia Commons

TREASURE UNDER THE TWIN TOWERS

On November 1, 2001 the Mayor of New York, Rudolph Guliani, announced that "more than $230 million" in silver and gold had been recovered from the Twin Towers World Trade Center site. The precious metals belonged to the Bank of Nova Scotia.

The destruction of the Towers created a 30' deep pit of collapsed buildings. However 70' underground remained a partially collapsed 16 acre basement, which housed, among other tenants, holdings of the Bank of Nova Scotia. On November 1, 2001, many news articles were still covering the terrible event. In The New York Times, the Bank of Nova Scotia was reported to have holdings of 379,036 ounces of gold, and 29,942,619 ounces of silver, with a total value of $200 million in an underground vault.

The Times Online, on the same day, stated that the owner of this vault was the New York Mercantile Exchange Trading Division (COMEX), which kept an additional 730 million in metals, including
-$100 million in gold--3,800 bars--12 tons,
-$430 million in silver--102 million ounces
-$220 million in gold--800,000 ounces held for others (Chase Manhattan and, Bank of New York, and Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking).

The New York Times also reported an attempted break-in at the vault door, security guards having noted scorch and crowbar marks in mid-October. Close-circuit TV monitoring was immediately installed, with the New York Port Authority patroling until the stated removal of metals.

The mystery is in the math. However it is difficult to imagine thieves with blowtorches and crowbars moving an overwhelming weight in metal. Each gold ingot weighs 70 pounds. It is estimated that 50 tractor trailers would be required to move 30,000 1,000-ounce silver bars. No substantive information is available on the platinum or palladium also stored in the vault. Best that the mystery remains. Rest in peace. (D.H.)

Courtesy of Miya.m, Wikimedia Commons

"The biggest silver thing I have ever seen..."

These words caught my eye, as I took a last look at my parents' National Geographics. I have the dubious distinction of being the sibling selected to clear out the estate. The concept of "the biggest" intrigued me as I read of a pair of water jugs made in India in 1902. Easily diverted from my task, I decided to do further research. Sure enough, the Guinness Book confirms that these objects are the largest in silver.

They stand in the Maharaja of Jaipur's City Palace, and were made for his grandfather, Madho Singh II, traveling with him to England for the coronation of Edward VII. Each jug (Gangajalis) carried 1,800 gallons of drinking water from the Holy River Ganges. Weighing in at 690 pounds per urn, they stand 5'3" and are each 14'10" around. Crafted by silversmiths Govind Ram and Madhar, more than 20,000 ounces of pure silver were used in their production, obtained from over 14,000 coins. Made without soldering or seams, the jugs are smooth and polished both inside and outside.

India acquired vast stores of silver coinage in the past, through trade with mainly European countries, for tea, spices, and silks. India is still a place where silver is hoarded as a primary investment, mainly by millions of peasants who can't afford gold. (D.H.)

Gambling on Silver - The Rise and Fall of the Hunt Brothers

The Hunt brothers of Texas were certainly responsible for some of the all-time great quotes to a congressional committee. Bunker Hunt is quoted to have said, "A billion dollars is not what it used to be." When prompted to reveal his total wealth by Chairman Benjamin Rosenthal, Bunker answered: "I don't have the figures in my head. People who know how much they're worth aren't usually worth that much." The Hunt brothers' quirky, individualistic nature followed that of their father, H.L. Hunt. He was a logger, mule-skinner and card shark before his very big oil strike in East Texas made him one of the richest men in the country.

In the early 1970s, Libya nationalized the Hunt's eight million acres of oil holdings. Qaddafi's demands, and the threat of accelerating inflation, prompted Hunter and Herbert Hunt to look at silver as a hedge against paper money. U.S. citizens could not hold gold at this time. Starting in 1973, the Hunts bought huge quantities of silver. Silver's price was $1.95/oz. rising to $3/oz. by year's end. By 1979 the price had risen to $5/oz. The brothers now turned to wealthy Arab investors to form a silver-buying pool. At its peak in 1980, silver reached $54/oz. and the Hunts had amassed over 200 million ounces of silver and cornered over one third of the world silver supply. The Hunt brothers owned huge quantities of physical silver and stored it in Switzerland, and warehouses in New Jersey and Illinois.

Late to the game, outside investors tried to join in, but the New York Metals Market (COMEX), and the Federal Reserve took action by altering trading rules. By March, 1980 the silver price had dived to $10.80/oz. The Hunt brothers found it difficult to borrow their way out of bankruptcy. In 1987 they owed 2.5 billion dollars against 1.5 billion in assets. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker approved a bank bailout plan for the Hunts, but they were convicted of conspiracy to control the silver market. (D.H.)

Retired museum designer, graphic designer and friend, Deb Hewitt, now writes for Gianna's Gems.

While having a small home in western Massachusetts and an even tinier cabin in New Hampshire, Deb travels to find vintage and antique jewelry at shows, shops, flea markets and in private collections. Her last trip to New York City included a fabulous tribal silver jewelry show at the "Museum of Arts and Design," and she expresses her thoughts on this wonderful collection. I am proud to have Deborah on our team!

Look for a link to Deborah's photographs soon to be entered onto Gianna's Gems for a look into her travels, finds and thoughts along the way!

The Diminishing Supply of Ethnic Silver Jewelry

The bulk of a tribal woman’s jewelry was acquired when she married, through wedding gifts and dowry money. More might be purchased by her husband or her during the course of their marriage, but a woman’s jewelry was made new for her and not often passed down. There was a long tradition of jewelry being melted to make way for the new, but traditional patterns were followed.  

A number of socio-economic shifts around the world have led to the further scarcity of authentic ethnic silver jewelry. Here are a few of them: 

Long the staple for dowry jewelry, silver has been replaced by gold as metal of choice in many areas. Silver was being seen as old-fashioned and less attractive by the more urbane. Just the weight alone of tribal silver jewelry was intimidating, sometimes being many kilos for a full costume.

The economic disruption of war has always been a major reason for peoples to sell their jewelry. The displacement of tribal peoples by conflict also threatens the continuity of ethnic traditions. The Vietnam War, as an example, adversely affected nearby Laos, which was unable to maintain neutrality. It became a battlefield between North Vietnam and the United States. Many peoples were forced to flee their villages into refugee camps, and then flee the country, by the threat of Communist takeover. Laos is still recovering.

Interest in ethnic jewelry as a collectible has raised the prices and put pressure on women to sell their possessions. Jewelry dealers--“jewelry hunters”--who scour the globe for handmade ethnic jewelry, have depleted the supply. Ethnic peoples are accustomed to selling silver jewelry by weight. Craftsmanship is not factored. However, the end price for a beautiful piece can be substantial.

In the 1960s, movie stars began wearing ethnic jewelry, particularly Native American. This led to an interest in tribal jewelry which has not disappeared. Great demand and cheap production costs have seen more and more ethnic-style jewelry made for export, having little to do with tribal use. A great quantity of silver jewelry is even misrepresented. It may be called Native American jewelry, but was made in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, or the Philippines. It may not even contain silver.

A lot of the world’s silver jewelry still exists today, but in the form of silver bars. “The Great Silver Melt of 1980,” really encompassed the years 1979 and 1980. However, the aggressive melting of silver, in the USA for example, began in the 1960s, when the silver supply for coins diminished and led to jumps in the silver market. By 1964, no silver was used in minting US coins and hoarding and melting began. A staggering amount of silver was melted during the "Great Silver Melt." Millions and millions of silver objects were scrapped for cash conversion around the world. Estimates vary, but approximately 10 to 25 per cent of old silver coins are thought to remain intact in collections today.

We are now faced with the dilemma of whether to hold our own old gold jewelry or “cash it in.” The payout can be high, but buying new gold jewelry is prohibitive. Perhaps the important thing to consider is that once that jewelry is smashed and melted, it’s forever gone. (D.H.)

Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry from the Nadler Collection - Part I

The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, NY, is currently displaying approximately 150 pieces of silver tribal jewelry from the Daniel and Serga Nadler collection. The Nadler's are most generously offering this collection to the museum as a future gift, and this its inaugural showing. The exhibition, Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry from the Nadler Collection runs Feb. 16 through Sep. 26, 2010. For this exhibition, the museum has focused on three geographic areas from the Nadler Collection--Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Northern Africa.

The jewelry demonstrates the discerning collector's care in selection. These items are handmade and stand as 3D sculptural works of art. One is immediately struck by how massive are many of the pieces. As you read the exhibition labels, you realize that the jewelry was a bank account--a 'portable treasury.' Nomadic peoples, those who have lived in remote or politically unstable areas had to rely on themselves. Jewelry became a savings account on hand for bad times.

When the pieces were worn, they quickly signaled the wearer's economic standing.  Items frequently were part of a dowry or were given as wedding presents. When divorced or widowed, the jewelry was often not worn again, but was the wife's possession.

This type of jewelry is unsigned and hard to date. It has also become scarce because much of it has been melted. So this gift to the museum is truly a treasure to be enjoyed by all. (D.H.)

Visit the museum online at http://www.madmuseum.org/

A Current Tribal Jewelry Exhibition

Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry 
from the Nadler Collection
February 16 - September 26

Museum of Arts and Design
Susan Elson Galleries, 2nd floor 
2 Columbus Circle, Manhattan, NY

CIRCLE PINS COME FULL CIRCLE

Some jewelry is so basic and classic, it just keeps rebounding. Perhaps you've noticed the circle pin has returned as a popular jewelry form. So it was in the 1950s and early 1960s. Very popular. But did you know that many of those designs copied expensive brooches, often from the Art Deco and Edwardian periods?

We like to find those very good costume jewelry circle pins, which convincingly mimic their pricey predecessors. (D.H.)

~more information on this circle pin~

   

~more information on frame~ 

Brass Victorian Revival Family Photo Frame

As mentioned in the article below, Victorian Revival collectibles can be found in other decades outside the 1930s. Here is a charming example from the 1950s of a brass folding frame for photos.

In the 1950s-60s, beyond jewelry, revival design can be found in many items, such as the Chesterfield sofa, re-introduced at this time. Unusual period clothing, like Victorian military uniforms were sought after and copied. Rock groups popularized the look, and fashion icon Diana Vreeland did the same for military medals and badges. Nineteenth century typography became fresh and interesting. We are now so inundated with retro styling, it's hard to conceive how novel this revival was at the time.

This particular brass Victorian Revival frame is a miniature, folding to 1 1/2" high x 1 1/8" wide x 1/2" deep, and revealing the perfect fifties family inside. This is very dear! (D.H.)

 

 ~view more Victorian Revival jewelry~

Importance of Patent Numbers on Jewelry

A wealth of information is available to us if we find a patent number on a keepsake. A case in point is this striking Victorian Revival bangle. It is marked on the inner surface, “Pat.1933576”, and hallmarked with a W inside an inverted triangle. There are many sources on the web for patent number information. In this case, the patent number was registered in the USA, November 7, 1933 by Edward L. Weed, a well-known jewelry designer, for J.J. White Manufacturing Co., Providence, Rhode Island. The entire abstract for this patent is available on line. It describes in detail, with illustrations, the manufacturing innovations requiring this patent, their cost-saving aspects, and a thorough summary of construction. So, we have a date, country of origin, designer and manufacturer. We have even learned how this bracelet was made and the philosophy behind its construction. Not bad!

Like a daydream we envelop our senses, a feeling of being in a place we have never visited. Running through a field of Heather, dressed in a beautiful flowing dress, straw hat, and jewelry
of date.
We visit gala's and opera's of the time. Ever present our statement, shown in our jewelry. We find ourselves capturing the essence our jewelry might have made in a past life,
and know it is attainable.
We treasure our pieces because someone has sent them to us. In a dream they now come to life once again...And we know they will follow into our future.

Well Earth day clean-up came to a close today about 3:30pm. You should have seen the trash!
You know, people who throw items on the ground don't realize just how that trash adds up!

I'm very up set that people throw six pack holders (the ones that contain containers) on the ground!
The holders wrap themselves around animals and become a vice to birds and ducks to which they can't get out of. Also, they are not biodegradable. It take more than 400 years for them to decompose!

I know this isn't my usual line of writting but, I just had to say something....

Shopping for fine vintage jewelry should be as exciting as owning that special piece. Gianna’s Gems hopes to make your journey fun and informative. If you are looking to add interest to your wardrobe, antique or estate jewelry will give you an exclusive look. Many pieces are unique in that you may never see another in your lifetime. Handmade work by jewelry artists and ethnic artisans is also truly distinct. It’s a clever way to add zing to your “little black dress.”