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Author Topic:   Question
Rand
unregistered
iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 04:51 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[01-1265]

I am looking at a small decoration of silver horses. The horses are presumably made of silver. There is a name imbedded in the metal that says something like "L. Soprani".

I am trying to figure out if this decoration is made of silver or is it some other metal, and does anybody know the name of L. Soprani as a sculptor or an artist?

Thank you.


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Arg(um)entum

Posts: 304
Registered: Apr 2002

iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 07:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Arg(um)entum     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Objects made of silver are practically always marked with something that identifies them as such. This mark varies with country and period. Browsing the discussions on this forum will give you an idea of the range of such marks. If 'L.Soprani' is the only identifier then your item is unlikely to be of silver.
Can you be a bit more specific about what you mean by a " small decoration ?

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Rand
unregistered
iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 08:51 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for reply.

L. Soprani is not the only marking. It also has 925 stamped on it and some other mark is present there. That other mark however is so small that I will need a very powerful magnifying glass to see what the letters or numbers are.

I wonder how can I have this tested to ascertain the metal content?

By small decoration I mean it 1 foot long by 1/2 foot wide and few inches high, depicting horses emerging from the ground or may be water.

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Anuh

Posts: 190
Registered: Jan 2003

iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 09:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Anuh     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
925 is an alternative method of marking sterling, although I never quite trust that mark as much as the word! wink

Still, you can assume then that this is probably sterling. Any jeweler should be able to test the metal for you.

Since you describe this as "small" and the size you indicate is NOT small in many ways, could you please give us an idea of weight. A piece that large, unless it is super thin, is likely to have a reasonably hefty weight if it is sterling.

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Anuh

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Arg(um)entum

Posts: 304
Registered: Apr 2002

iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 09:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Arg(um)entum     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Like Anuh, I am surprised at the size of the piece - is there any chance you can post a picture?

As to the '925', the degree of trust you may have in the presence of a metric fineness number is directly related to your confidence in recognizing the actual mark(s) that support it whether national guarantee marks or manufacturers' marks. A number alone means nothing. Can you describe the marks, please?

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Rand

Posts: 2
Registered: Oct 2003

iconnumber posted 10-12-2003 11:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rand     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Anah,
The weight of the piece is consistent with it being silver. It is pretty heavy.

Arg(um)entum,
I don't have a picture. The number 925 is encircled in a small oval. There is one more mark stamped which looks like this: "Gal,.L'ine"

Thank you for your responses.

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Patrick Vyvyan

Posts: 640
Registered: May 2003

iconnumber posted 10-13-2003 10:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Patrick Vyvyan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just a thought, Luciano Soprani is a major Italian fashion designer, established in the 1980s. See http://www.lucianosoprani.it
Could this piece have been commissioned by them? Does it "feel" new or old?

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Rand

Posts: 2
Registered: Oct 2003

iconnumber posted 10-13-2003 12:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rand     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It feels new, and the name certainly fit, so it is a possibility.

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Brent

Posts: 1507
Registered: May 99

iconnumber posted 10-19-2003 06:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Brent     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The 925 in an oval mark is often found on modern Italian sterling silver. From what you describe, it sounds like a cast sculpture. Sculptures are often signed in the manner you describe.

Brent

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Anuh

Posts: 190
Registered: Jan 2003

iconnumber posted 10-21-2003 07:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Anuh     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just a caveat on this subject:

Some years back, I went to the auction of the Living Estate of Anita Bryant. Included in this sale (but questionably belonging to her since many of the things appear to have been from a shop that had closed) were 6 silver Remington statues on marble columns. The original information on them was that they were sterling silver; however, during the auction, the auctioneer changed his tune and started talking about how the originals at 100% sterling had problems with breakage, so the later runs were done with 80% and then later 60% silver alloy.

As it turned out, the woman who bought all six of these found out they were silverplate and all the markings on them were bogus.

So, marked or not, it pays to learn about the item you want to buy, preferably before you hand out thousands of dollars! wink

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Anuh

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