What If There Is No Markings?

JBEXPRESS

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Im curious to know just because there is no marking on a gold/silver jewelry piece does it mean its not real? Does real jewelry ALWAYS have to have a marking on them or sometimes are they not marked? :?: Thanks

Has anyone ever ever found something real that wasnt marked!
 
No, valuable jewelry is not always marked. Sometimes when a jeweler resizes a ring the marking is cut out, such is the case with my diamond engagment ring because it had to be resized a lot. It's not a good or profesional thing to do on the jeweler's part however. Also those marks can wear off on rings, and the higher the gold content the faster a ring will wear.
 
Another thought too, I'm a jewelry artist and though I mostly work with glass when I do work with metals I don't stamp my work. I don't believe the two silversmiths I know always do if at all either. You can order stamps anywhere, so even if a piece is stamped it doesn't always mean it is what it says it is. It would be rare to see this though unless you are buying some "precious metal" piece of jewelry for $.99 on ebay. :)
 
Im curious to know just because there is no marking on a gold/silver jewelry piece does it mean its not real? Does real jewelry ALWAYS have to have a marking on them or sometimes are they not marked? :?: Thanks

Has anyone ever ever found something real that wasnt marked!


You are correct James they are worthless... sent them to me or Joe and we will dispose of it ;)

All kidding aside I have several older finds that are not marked but I acid test all my finds whether they are marked or not... a couple years ago Joe found a bracelet marked 14k and it was junk...
 
I don't always stamp my work. I had a woman look at one of my rings and ask if it was silver. I told her that it was because I had just made it. She said that she didn't think it was because it wasn't stamped. I took it from her and opened my drawer, took out a stamp and stamped it. "There, it's silver." I said. "You can't do that!" she said. "Only the manufacturer can do that." "Lady, I am the manufacturer. This is my factory." I told her. "Well!", she said, as she stomped away with her nose in the air.
 
The last ring I found had no markings,

4-13-3.jpg


4-13-5.jpg


I have had several pieces of gold that were not marked. They
may have never been marked, or the mark could have worn off,
or repairs can remove hallmarks.

Happy Huntin,
 
How expensive

The last ring I found had no markings,

4-13-3.jpg


4-13-5.jpg


I have had several pieces of gold that were not marked. They
may have never been marked, or the mark could have worn off,
or repairs can remove hallmarks.

Happy Huntin,

How expensive are those things!

HH Michael
 
Gem testers will tell you that (well, if you get the right type).. check Craig's link above. RickO

Thanks, but I have to find a gem first! I've found one ring, but it's stainless. I got my pro pointer in the mail yesterday, so I'm ready to hit the parks.
 
Some do & some don't, here's some examples.
The rings below were made by me and as I didn't have a stamp at the time (many years ago) I didn't stamp them, although both are 14K. Ditto on the pendant, poor pic but thats a CZ stone.

StevespicsfromShutterfly558.jpg


StevespicsfromShutterfly382.jpg


On the other side of the coin - here's my display of dug items over the years that are all stamped 14K but are not gold. Not only did I acid test them but I took them to a jeweler to test also. Steve in so az

bogusgold2.jpg
 
There's getting to be more and more fake gold out there. Most of it is coming from Mexico. We get people coming into the pawn shop almost everyday wanting to pawn something, and we have to tell them that it isn't real. Just because it's stamped doesn't mean it's real.
 
Ss - Right on - both jewelers I showed my fake stuff to said right away "that's from Mexico". steve
 
No markings

Hello,
I bought this at the garage sale from an old lady (about 70 years old) it is a silver cross Indian Mexican artifacts. Per her info this use to belong to her mother and it is about 100+ years old.
Size 2.5 long X 1.25 wide – about ½ oz. I can’t see any markings but jeweler said it is pure silver.
Any feedback and approx value of it will be appreciated. Please see the pictures
 

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Hello,
I bought this at the garage sale from an old lady (about 70 years old) it is a silver cross Indian Mexican artifacts. Per her info this use to belong to her mother and it is about 100+ years old.
Size 2.5 long X 1.25 wide – about ½ oz. I can’t see any markings but jeweler said it is pure silver.
Any feedback and approx value of it will be appreciated. Please see the pictures

From the picture I'd say that it's silver. The bezel that holds the stones are fine silver (.999), It's soft enough to bend around them and hold them in place. The base would be Sterling (.925) because its harder to give it strength. Pure silver would be to soft to hold it's shape. For the size, there would not be any place large enough to stamp it. My main sales are rings that I make that are to small to stamp. It looks like good turquoise, but I couldn't set a value. They are still make today.
 
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