Providing Educational Resources to Better Understand and Recognize Precious Metal Hallmarks From Around the World
Web Links
The wonder of the web offers a gateway to many Internet resources related to hallmarks via government and national agencies, educational organizations, private study groups, corporate sites, and private sites. This page is designed to offer links to the more useful sites already established as well as promote them by noting their relevance.
- General Resources and Forums
925-1000 Silver Marks and Forum - A great site packed with marks grouped by country. This site offers information on silver marks, and trademarks. The forum features discussions on all types of marks on silver and gold. This is quite an extensive internet resource for researching silver hallmarks & maker's marks. The thousands of images of silver marks and hallmarks will take you down the rabbit hole willingly!!
The Jewelry Loupe - Cathy McCarthy interviewed the Directors of HRI. The resulting blog may answer questions you might have as well.
Silver Magazine - One of the few magazines that we can recommend as being unique and in-depth in its content. Every issue is a jewel of information that continues to amaze us. If you are looking for the Minerva of silver magazines, then this subscription is a must!
- Governmental Assay Offices with Helpful Related Sites
Hallmarking Convention - Keep up on the regulations as they change for Common Control Marks (CCM) used throughout hallmarking countries. The best location for active links to each member country's websites.
Birmingham Assay Office Date Mark Search - Birmingham has added a database to their website that allows the public to look up the year date letter charts.
Finnish Maker Mark Search -Developed in 2009 by the Leimatoimikunta (Mark Commission), who was founded by members of the Finnish precious metal industry, this search engine documents Finnish gold and silversmiths' responsibility marks for the years 1373-1950. Responsibility marks from 1950 to date can be found in the Responsibility Mark Register (nimileimarekisteri) on the Tukes web site.
- Partial List of Foreign Assay Office's with Country Specific Maker's Mark Search Engines
(may be in foreign languages)
Czech Republic Netherlands Sweden Estonia Norway Switzerland United Kingdom
- Helpful Conversion Resources
Measurement, Weight, Currency Converters
Islamic - Gregorian Calendar Year Date Conversions
Persian - Gregorian Calendar Year Date Conversions
- Trademark and Maker Mark Related (No-Fee) Websites
Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver(ASCAS) - This is a great site for information on marks and trademarks. This particular link deals with Tiffany marks on silver. Click around to see other useful info.
Chicago Silver - Don't let the name fool you, here is an online plethora of trademarks. This link will serve as the opening to the 'rabbit hole' of links that will feed your need for searching for a long time! Master List of Links - Lyn Peightal has been collecting images of signatures of contemporary jewelers through various sources and has listed them with their maker. Remember, just because it says silver, it does not mean your gold maker's mark could not be there too.
Heritage Auctions - Heritage Auctions, established in 1976, is a multi-discipline auction house with offices all over the US and abroad. The thousands of items, collectible silver, gold items, and jewelry, offers them unique exposure to a multitude of maker's marks and hallmarks, as does most auction houses. What sets Heritage apart and a place on this page is the serious mark reference guide, with photos, they list from much of the items of precious metals they have sold at auction.
Silver Collection - Touching on marks from countries all over the world, there may be something about what you are looking in the pages of this site. Giorgio B. has packed his site with a lot of helpful information. Silvercollection.it has French maker's mark initial reference, but the information does not stop there.Allow time to peruse the numerous pages.
925-1000.com - French Maker's Marks - While there is no single complete source for discovering the identity of the jewelers initials found within the small lozenge shape that is so distinctively a French maker's mark, there are resources scattered about that can help.
Morning Glory Antiques - Morning Glory has done a nice job in collecting images of costume jewelry maker marks.
Antique-Horology Trademark Search - A resource to look up watch maker marks.
Mikrolisk Horological Trademark Index - In German but quite extensive in its coverage of horological maker's marks.
Hallmarks on British and Irish Silver - Not a fancy site but very informative on the hallmarks and marks of the UK.
UK Maker's Marks - A simple site with an extensive list of makers from the various UK Assay Office jurisdictions. A must to check if looking up a UK silversmith.
American Silversmiths - William Eric Voss has created an excellent compilation of maker's marks on American Silver that is now archived in the Library of Congress.
Native American Marks - This nicely done resource has quite a few images to help you identify maker mark's of the Native American Southwest.
United States Patent and Trademark Office - Not to be overlooked is the USPTO. Using descriptive words will narrow your results. You will need time to go through this and all the links above. Good luck in your quest.
Link to Archived Featured Marks
This page adds links periodically. Last update 12/25.
If there are sites that you feel are important to share,
or if the links here are broken,
please
let us know by contacting us via email from the questions page.