Antique & Vintage Jewelry
- Thread starter fryedaze
- Start date
Does all jewelry have ahallmark? How to test perals/ How to determine a rubt from a garnet? and diamonds from rhimestones?
Does all jewelry have ahallmark? How to test perals? How to determine a ruby from a garnet? and diamonds from rhimestones?
No, many older pieces (and/or pieces from many other countries) do not have a hallmark.
Some retailers will get the pieces hallmarked before selling, but many will not, as it is considered better to keep them in prime condition.
In the UK, if you do not hallmark the pieces (with the minimum UK hallmark), you cannot sell many of them (with some exceptions, below) as being made of gold, or platinum.
Exemptions
1. Any articles of gold, if manufactured before 1920 and of minimum fineness (375 parts per thousand [9 carat] or above) and that have not had any improper alterations.
2. Any article that is of the minimum fineness, but is too small or thin to be hallmarked.
3. Any article that is of minimum fineness and weighs less than the following table:
Gold.........1 gram
Silver.........5 grams
Platinum........0.5 grams
Silver.........5 grams
Platinum........0.5 grams
4. The following articles of gold if manufactured before 1 st January 1975, and of minimum fineness:
I. rings (except wedding rings),
II. articles made solely of filigree work,
III. articles so heavily engraved or set with stones that it is impossible to mark them without damage.
5. Any article which is wholly or mainly made from platinum, and which was manufactured before 1st January 1975.
For pearls, do the tongue test; run the pearl across the tip of your tongue and if the pearl feels gritty, it is probably real. If it does not, it is almost certainly imitation. Majorica (imitation) pearls can also feel gritty, too, so be careful.
Obviously, the best way is to ask an expert, but garnets and cubic zirconia are less hard on Mohs' scale than rubies and diamonds (and rhinestones are much less hard, as they are made of glass), so the facet edges will often look less sharp.
For more information:
day-to-night
D
Deleted member 19431
I love this thread! I am obsessed with vintage jewelry, in particular mourning jewelry. I don't have any of those kind of pieces, in fact I only have one. This ring is from the 1920's, yellow topaz signet ring I believe. Everyone's pieces are so beautiful!
Attachments
Ring - head on.JPG
Here is an art deco ring my DH just got me
............i love it, it is from the 1920's France .......... I got it in Belgium
Here is an art deco ring my DH just got me
............i love it, it is from the 1920's France .......... I got it in BelgiumAttachments
I love antique jewelry and have a few costume pieces that have been handed down to me. Although I do not know much about the age or the orientation of these pieces I love them and get compliments on them all of the time!
Black/Grey choker
Gold w/green&white stones
Black/Grey choker
Gold w/green&white stones
I love vintage jewelry and would love to collect some more in the future.
I think I posted my ring somewhere else but I'll post another picture here.I actually haven't found out how old it is and it's not hallmarked either. However when I took it for a valuation they tested it and found it was platinum, although they can't actually say that, instead they say "platinum quality" because apparently it is "illigeal to describe such articles as an official standard of fineness without the required hallmarks (The Hallmarking Act 1973). I learnt something new from that report! lol It did mention that they are "two old European cut diamonds" though.
The history surrounding my ring is that a great great aunt of mine (or something along those lines) was a nanny for a very rich English Lord and as a thank you for all that she had done for him, he gave her this ring. Then over the years it's been passed down the family tree and it got to me on my 18th!
Hehe I just realised it looks like I have no fingernails in the top picture!
I think I posted my ring somewhere else but I'll post another picture here.I actually haven't found out how old it is and it's not hallmarked either. However when I took it for a valuation they tested it and found it was platinum, although they can't actually say that, instead they say "platinum quality" because apparently it is "illigeal to describe such articles as an official standard of fineness without the required hallmarks (The Hallmarking Act 1973). I learnt something new from that report! lol It did mention that they are "two old European cut diamonds" though.
The history surrounding my ring is that a great great aunt of mine (or something along those lines) was a nanny for a very rich English Lord and as a thank you for all that she had done for him, he gave her this ring. Then over the years it's been passed down the family tree and it got to me on my 18th!
Hehe I just realised it looks like I have no fingernails in the top picture!
Such a precious ring All my pieces I've purchased but I LOVE the antique platinum diamond sapphire look. I have a gorgeous 3" cross and my engagement ring is antique platinum with channel set sapphires surrounding it. I also have quite a few right hand rings in platinum diamond sapphire and really want earrings from my DH for Christmas.
my grandmother left me this ring - she did the big hair shows and it was given to her by the president of the cosomotology association back in the early 50's. My grandmother was told to give it to my father when he did his first show (my father helped my grandmother do hair as did my aunts) .... but instead he married had my sister and never did a show - My grandmother decided it should go to me. I love ring but I love her more. Thank you for letting me share it with you.
