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A silver object that is to be sold commercially is, in most countries, stamped with one or more silver hallmarks indicating the purity of the silver, the mark of the manufacturer or silversmith, and other (optional) markings to indicate the date of manufacture and additional information about the piece.
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term hallmark is used to refer to any standard of quality.
From about 1840 to 1940 in the United States and Europe, sterling silver cutlery (US: 'flatware') became de rigueur when setting a proper table. There was a marked increase in the number of silver companies that emerged during that period. The height of the silver craze was during the 50-year period from 1870 to 1920.
The Scandinavian silver alloy contains 83% pure silver and 17% copper or other metals. [10] German silver will be marked with a millesimal fineness of 800 or 835 (80% or 83.5% pure silver). Any items simply marked "German silver", "nickel silver" or "Alpaca" have no silver content at all, but are mere alloys of other base metals. [citation needed]
The loupe also allows you to read any markings (if any exist) regarding gold and silver quality. For example, 10k, 14k, and 18k mean 10-carat, 14-carat, and 18-carat gold, and 925 indicates ...
Initially, hallmarks consisted of the goldsmiths' proper mark which was the maker's mark originally used to identify the silversmith or goldsmith responsible for making the article. The fineness mark, the crowned harp, was applied to 22 carat gold and sterling silver, which was silver of a standard of 925 parts of fine silver in each 1,000.
Timothy Tuttle formed the Tuttle Silver Company in 1890, in downtown Boston, Massachusetts.. His first work was to duplicate sterling pieces by special order. And because the pieces he duplicated were generally English sterling pieces, the original Tuttle pieces are dated in the English custom, with the crest of the reigning monarch of the times, to indicate the time period.
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