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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 Silver Jewelry
 Birmingham Silver Identification help?
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| Author | Topic: Birmingham Silver Identification help? |
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Essex_Girl_21 unregistered |
posted 07-20-2004 01:09 PM
 
[01-1624] Hi everyone, This is my first post. I've been given a brooch by my father - it's silver (?) and agate in an art-deco style. I'm having difficulty identifying it though, since the information I've seen is contradictory, and the marks are quite worn. The first mark is "ALL" followed by what looks like a small underlined "D". The brooch is a little black in places - I'm not sure whether this is dirt or a plating being worn away. Should I try and clean/polish it to get rid of the black? Thanks in advance for any help - IP: Logged |
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PhilO Posts: 166 |
posted 07-22-2004 02:31 AM
Assuming that you are correct with Birmingham your description fits a maker whose pieces I have seen with dates around 1910-1925. The mark can be interpreted as A.L. Ltd. "n" would then be for 1912. I am speculating here, but there was another maker around the same time who used a similar mark with an ampersand: A&LLd. This is Adie & Lovekin Ltd and I suspect that ALLd is an alternative mark. Definitely clean the brooch; it will look so much better. Try to keep the polish off the stone as much as possible. You may find that an old toothbrush to get into any crevices will help to get rid of the tarnish. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 07-22-2004 10:11 AM
One additional suggestion to what has already been offered is that while you should definitely go ahead and polish the silver (while avoiding the stone so as not to possibly damage it) you should think twice before over-polishing it. So much of the beauty of old silver is the patina it gets over the decades/centuries and dipping an intricate piece in cleaner or scrubbing it to the point of removing any darkening from the nooks and crevices, or polishing out the micro-scratches can wind up taking away much of its charm and beauty. Tarnish in the low spots highlights the form of a piece of silver by making a contrast with the high points. Start out with a light cleaning of the heavy dirt from it, then try a mild silver polish on just the higher parts and wait a few days or weeks before deciding whether to take away another shade of tarnish and so on until you get it to the point where it is pleasing to your eyes. Keep in mind that tarnish is easy to remove, patina and charm is almost impossible to recreate so don't go all wild at your first try. IP: Logged |
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Essex_Girl_21 unregistered |
posted 07-22-2004 02:10 PM
Thank you very much for the advice. I'm back from visiting my parents and I've been able to take some pictures for you out of interest. On is of the front of the brooch, and one is of the hallmark. Its pretty small and worn, but I think it's come out quite well considering. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 07-28-2004 09:51 AM
What a lovely gift from your father. I might call it an art nouveau design rather than art deco but it is attractive no matter what label one places on it. The photo of the hallmarks is a little fuzzy and hard to make out the details, but it appears to be the sterling silver hallmarks for Birmingham for 1912. I hope you find many opportunities to wear it as these sorts of things should not be hidden away in jewelry boxes. Just be sure to check the catch on the back to ensure it is still in good condition after all these years so that it will not accidentally fall off. IP: Logged |
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