Featured What is it, and is it silver?

Good evening!

I picked this up at today's brocante. Its marked for Orfevrerie Ercuis, a French silversmith started in 1867 and still going on today. The only thing I can find out about it is that the mark was used 1886 onwards.

The mark itself looks like a rather fabulous donkey to me, but apparently its a centaur with an arrow, O and E on either top side.

Its quite heavy (45 grams) and feels like silver to me, but I can't figure out if its solid or plated?? Ercuis did both silver and plated which doesn't help matters. I'm leaning towards plated but its awfully heavy compared to what you usually see. Is this a lesser but solid silver, or is the 2 (or 220) a thickness mark for plated? If it helps, it did have a nice ring to it when I accidentally dropped it on the floor

Also, what is it? They did/do kitchen and dining ware, at 5.5cm in diameter its too big for a napkin ring, perhaps it was once on a decanter or pot of some kind? Can we tell any idea of age, and does that help in the ID?

Thanks all very much indeed!


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That type of mark would indicate plate in France

 

It's not a napkin ring?

Debora

 

The number 2 should be the number of grams of silver used to plate a certain number of pieces..

 

Cropped & Enlarged 3X....

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Not sure why you think it's too large for a napkin ring, that would be a typical size, though I've seen some both smaller and larger, it was probably used commercially, likely a hotel or perhaps a ship to have a high number like '220'...

From a 1911 Ercuis catalog:




~Cheryl

 

Would have held a starched, generously-sized linen or cotton napkin as was customary at the time.

Debora

 

you've never seen Mom's starched linen napkins.......
size of boat sails !!!
bahhahahaha!!!!!

 

That was my thought.

 

Okay cool so it is a napkin ring! Thank you all. Interesting to note it is a little larger than normal @daveydempsey for the time.

I'd love to know where you found this, if its online it didn't come up for me. Thank you! Interesting you say a ship, as Ercuis did service some cruisers in the early part of the 20th century.

The mark is still alluding me though, according to the catalog its a different mark for solid silver, but that mark is also attributed to a later date.

All in all, are we in agreement that its a silver plated napkin ring dating to around 1911?

 

Your napkin ring is shown in a 1911 catalog, that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't produced years earlier as well as later.


Not sure there really is a 'normal' size for napkin rings, since there's no standard size - in the round rings, I've seen them as small as 1" (2.6cm) in diameter, and my largest, 19th century Dutch, is 2-7/16" (6.2cm), but they most typically range around 1.5" to 2". Below are some of my napkin rings, the smallest is 1.5" (3.8cm), the largest 2-1/16" (5.4cm), with the majority between 1-5/8" and 2".




Also not sure what the issue is with the mark, as suggested, a square French maker's mark indicates silverplate, the maker's mark in a lozenge indicates solid silver. Shown is an Ercuis silver mark:




~Cheryl

 

My what a beautiful collection you have! Some stunning ones in there.

Yes my initial research seemed to suggest the different marks were different eras, but I looked more into it today and its most definitely an SP vs Silver mark, plus of course as you mentioned the square vs lozenge. Lozenge is a new term, I've been calling it diamond this whole time haha!

 

Heh, nothing wrong with calling it a diamond. Terry had already told you it was a plate mark, and Bakersgma told you that the '2' was the number of grams used to plate a certain number pieces. I see that you're young, it takes time to learn silver and other antiques, and not all information is available online, and not all found is correct - coming from someone who has loved old things all my life, think it's wonderful that you are interested...

~Cheryl

 

Oh yes indeed, I'm grateful for their knowledge! I bought it to learn something, and learn I did Thank you all!