Collector’s Corner Silver Hallmarks

Advanced collectors of Native American and Southwestern style jewelry will most often turn an item over and inspect the back of it after glancing at the front. In many cases, the back can tell them just as much as the front. You can tell about construction (hand-wrought or casting method, etc.) and also, that is where you will generally find the hallmarks. What do the hallmarks tell them?

Here is a little history of hallmarks: Way back in 1158, King Henry II passed a law stating that all British silver coins had to be minted in 92.5% (.925) pure silver and 7.5% copper. This alloy was known as “Sterling Silver.” Then, in 1238, Henry III passed a law that said no silver items could be made which were “worse than the king's money,” and therefore, sterling silver became the standard for silver items. In 1300 Edward II passed a law saying no item made of silver could be sold until it had been assayed and marked with a hallmark dedicated for the purpose of verifying the silver content. So now we have the first widely recorded silver hallmark. Along the way, England added additional requirements of the silversmiths until they eventually had a system of being able to tell the metal purity, maker, city and date where an item was made, just by looking at the hallmarks. This system eventually became one of the most highly structured hallmarking systems in the world and is still used throughout the United Kingdom to this day.

Silversmiths in Colonial America were predominantly of European descent and they typically used hallmarks. Their trade was brought over from England and neighboring countries, where, as stated above, hallmarks had been in use for a long time. The silversmithing trade slowly worked its way west along with colonization.

In the United States, there is no law stating precious metals have to be hallmarked, however, if a quality mark is used (ie: sterling, coin silver, etc.) then it is also required to be marked by the artist or manufacturer. This way, if there is ever a question as to the metal content, the maker can be traced and held accountable. Obviously this law was not adhered to well as you will often see items that say nothing more than “sterling,” or “coin” silver, etc..

Down south, the Aztecs were making gold and silver jewelry when the Spanish arrived in what is now Mexico. The arrival of the Spaniards however, brought new techniques and designs to the Natives. With an abundance of silver in Mexico, this eventually became the metal of choice for Mexican silversmiths. The craft crept northward along with the colonization of Mexico. History tells us this is likely where the Native Americans of the Southwest first came into contact with the art form. The Spanish did not have a mandatory hallmarking system like their European neighbors, but they did have a voluntary system which was generally adhered to and also followed when they started making items in the “New World.” Most of the items were hallmarked.

By the early 1800s, many Native Americans in the Plains and Western parts of the United States had been exposed to the silversmithing trade. It is generally accepted that sometime in the mid-1800s, the craft was starting to take hold and by the late 1800s, it was being widely practiced. Silversmithing knowledge came to them from both the south and the east. By the late 1800s, when silversmithing starting to become a way of making money, Natives were influenced by a blend of their own cultures and the traders who marketed their wares. Most early Native silversmiths however, did not hallmark their items.

Although it was common for silver jewelry to be hallmarked elsewhere in the United States and Mexico (the Native Americans two largest sources of influence), they did not hallmark their wares. A common belief (especially with regards to the Navajo who were the largest group of silversmiths), is that this practice was rejected because they were a humble people and hallmarking an item was the to bring attention to yourself, which was the same a bragging or boasting. This was frowned upon in their culture at the time. There are other theories as well.

Early 1900s manufacturers of Southwestern style jewelry however, often hallmarked their products. Companies like Pacific Jewelry, H.H. Tammen, Arrow Novelty, Bell and others would hallmark their jewelry for silver content and also with their company marks. It was predominately the individual silversmiths who did not mark their items at that time.

That all started to change in about the 1930s. You see, when “Native American” style jewelry started to gain in popularity with the tourist visiting the Southwest in the early 1900s, opportunist jumped in and started producing Southwest style jewelry that competed with the authentic Native pieces. This eventually became such a problem that in the 1930s, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) stepped up to address the issue. They implemented a hallmarking system that, while well-intended, was not user friendly and did not last long. It did however serve as a catalyst for the hallmarking of Native silver jewelry in the Southwest.

From the 1930s till the 1970s, the progress was slow. Most Native jewelry was still not hallmarked as old habits and beliefs tend to hang on. However, in the 1970s, there was a huge turquoise jewelry boom. There was so much money being made in the business that imports once again became an issue. This time, a new generation of Native American silversmiths widely accepted the fact, that in order to set their items apart and to authenticate them, they must be hallmarked. Hallmarking then became the rule, not the exception. Native hallmarks are not that different than those of other silversmiths in the United States, often using their initials or names, and sometimes symbols or brands are used.

In America, silver hallmarks tend to resemble that of the United Kingdom as far a metal content is concerned. We use the words “sterling” or “coin” silver to indicate purity instead of a fractional interest (such as .925 or .900, even though they mean the same thing). Much of the rest of the world uses the fractional interest numbers.

In summary, most jewelers in the United States hallmark with the words Sterling or Coin Silver rather than their counterparts, .925 or .900 and they also use an identifiable hallmark or signature to identify themselves as the artist. A lot of times, when you see the numerical versions of silver content on a piece, it can be an indication of an item made elsewhere in the world. Remember though, much Native American and Southwest style jewelry made before the 1930s is not hallmarked at all. Although hallmarking silver jewelry was slowly gaining popularity from the 1930s through the ‘70s, you will still see a lot of it that was not marked from that period either. From the 1970s to current, most of it is hallmarked and any modern item that is not marked is probably suspect in some way. In recent times, several folks have done a lot of research on the subject and there are now many books and resources out there with databases of silver hallmarks and the makers. This is a nice way to figure out who the artists are because items made by certain silversmiths can demand a premium.

As you can tell, hallmarks are very important to know about when studying jewelry, however, they can be faked, so you should always deal with reputable sellers who stand behind what they sell. Besides educating yourself about the hallmarks, you should always buy something that appeals to you and that you will enjoy owning.

Also for related topic see Trail Talk with Bobbi Jeen | Bille Hougart and Dating Belt Buckles