Featured Another questionably gold Hope, Charity, & Faith brooch

Well bought out the entire jewelry section of an estate before the sale and finally did find some possible gold in the pile. I’m not sure but might be low karat 8-10k maybe? Can’t make head nor tail of the mark. Anyone know it or have an educated guess? Has a slightly Georgian look almost to the front side but I assume it’s 1900-1950 based on the other stuff in the collection. Little indentations on back I’ve never seen. Maybe they offer a clue in the production process and therefor origin?

Not Portuguese again is it?

 

Maybe a 333 gold mark.

 

I did wonder about that actually. Who made 8k commonly? I’ve never had any.

 

Could also be 833. Didn't we just have that somewhere?

 

Hinge design & slightly over-long pin suggest turn of 20th century.

 

I was initially thinking a combo of 8s/3s but didn’t know there was an .833 gold anywhere.

 

I rather doubt your piece is from Asia, but according to:

https://www.gold.org/about-gold/about-gold-jewellery

The following are the common standards of fineness that are used:

.375 = 9 carat (England and Canada)

.417 = 10 carat

.583 (.585) = 14 carat

.750 = 18 carat

.833 = 20 carat (Asia)

.999 (1000) = 24 carat pure gold

Also:

In France, the UK, Austria, Portugal and Ireland, 9 carat is the lowest caratage permitted to be called gold. In Denmark and Greece, 8 carat is the legal minimum standard.

 

Thanks! Yeh I doubt Asia too but that’s interesting. The mark font is so stylized. I did know 8k was used in some places but didn’t know where so that’s good to have in the ol’ knowledge warehouse.

 

Oh and I have seen/heard of 20k gold before. Just didn’t realize .833 was the corresponding decimal.

 

yer gonna need to test that one for purity.....
I'm not even certain those are numbers..........

 

I’m not certain either but ya gotta start with what you know! I seem to have misplaced my acid. It’s years old anyway, maybe time to get a new set.

 

I seem to have misplaced my acid.

now that's not something one hears everyday !!!!!!!!

Micro dot....or...blotter ???

 

LOL I am trippin over that funny Komo

 

Germany did too, and they often marked it as 333 without any other marks.

The Netherlands also uses 20k, but it is hallmarked. I'm sure other European countries use it too, but most would also use proper hallmarks.
It doesn't look like 20k gold though, more like 8k.

Nothing about it says Portugal to me.
Portugal doesn't use 8k, but it does use 20k. Portuguese gold would be hallmarked though, just like gold from most other European countries.

 

it's a really nice pin......no skimping on that anchor !!!!

 

The mark sure is odd though. It's an English-style pin, sorta, but that mark isn't anything I've ever seen.

 

Oh no, now I'm curious what the Portuguese did to you.

Doesn't look Asian to me, but since there are a lot of versions of this, it's not impossible it got copied from a European design, is it? The flowers...sort of look like Cherry blossoms to me but I don't know if they would have if Asia hadn't have been brought up.

 

That is one of the darkest secrets on antiquers....

 

To let the cat out of the bag, the Portuguese take fiendish pleasure in hiding their precious metal marks. Sometimes on the front of a piece, sometimes on the back, and they're always so tiny even nearsighted me needs a 40x loupe to read them.

 

That’s a whole different story!