Featured Tom Oye? Sterling silver dragon pot

I can’t find a silversmith by this name, maybe it’s abbreviated? Looks to read “TOM.OYE.” and sterling. Any thoughts/opinions on this piece?
It’s about 6” tall and 5” diameter.

 

Piece looks Asian - Japanese or Chinese particularly. Maybe Oye is his surname?

 

Interesting mark, a tomoye is a symbol in Japanese:

http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/docum...se_symbol,_by_W._J._Phillipps,_p_486_-_487/p1

The dragon also appears to be Japanese.

Marks can also sometimes be for retailers too, so may not relate to the original region. Can't find the mark in my Asian silver books either.

 

I kept coming up with a skateboarder who survived an avalanche.

 

Tbf that sounds more interesting than what I got!

 

I'm sorry I cannot help with the id, but it's a beautiful piece.

 

Thanks Bakers and Ce BCA, I’ll try looking further now that I’m on my computer.
Not sure how I’m going to get it polished without a load of work.

 

very nice find.........

 

SUCH a nice and unique looking piece!! Maybe try just the highlights first with a couple of Sunshine cloths and see what you get......before killing yourself with it!!!!

 

You lucky dog. I would kill for that!

 

It’s a start.

 

Big improvement!

 

WOW! That's beautiful.

 

SUPERCALAFRAGILISTICEXPIDALEOSCIOUS!!!!!! Or something like THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NICE WORK!!

 

Super cali fragilistic expi ali docious

 

It’s a beauty wow! I thought Chinese export when I saw it but looks like folks are leaning to Japanese. Japanese dragons usually have three toes vs. Chinese dragons usually having four. Yours looks like three?

 

Thanks JD, I’ll have a look tomorrow, it’s at the shop and I’m not.

 

In my small amount of experience with Asian silver I realized I see “sterling” on Japanese pieces pretty often. Sometimes even if they are .950. I don’t really recall seeing “sterling” on Chinese pieces much (although I’m sure there are plenty of examples) more often there isn’t a non-Chinese purity mark or if there is it’s just .925 or 92.5% or S925, and so on but not “sterling”. Just a thought. Like I said I’m sure there’s plenty that does actually spell out “sterling”. I just haven’t come across it as much on Chinese silver.

 

Great piece, great find. This japanese piece really worth a lot.