Nice sterling bracelet in the park.

[born2hunt]

Found this in the park this morning. Anyone recognize the maker's mark?

Also found a neat button. It's very plain, no designs or markings but the shank might suggest that it's old school.

 

[metalhead]

Nice finds!Congrats on the silver!Yeah, on the silver bracelet is the hallmark of Charles Leslie Smith(cls in a shield). He's a jeweler in Allentown, PA. Been making jewelry for over thirty years, I guess. Stiil making jewelry to this day as far as I know. It's a common hallmark. Happy Hunting!

 

[cwilk]

Thats a great bracelet. It appears to be very good quality silversmithing and it looks heavy too. A definite keeper!

Chris

 

[Gene]

That's a really nice, well made bracelet you found. .
Well worth the hunt I would say. HH Gene

 

[flash5153]

Very nice, bet that bracelet lit up the machine. I imagine it was a great surprize.

 

[dahut]

- - not often seen today in the age of numeric tags and minimal marks from foreign makers.
It has usually been regarded as designating higher grade items, as far as I know. The mark and word handwrought certainly bear that out. It is nice, thats a 'fer sure.'

Brazed loop buttons are also not seen much anymore, but were once commonplace. I would agree it could be "old school." There is no hallmark on the rear?

 

[Roscue2]

n/t

 

[born2hunt]

Great, informative responses.

Metal head, I found the hallmark online shortly after posting but had no idea it was common. It was made about 30 miles from home and about the same distance from where I found it. Homegrown sterling makes it even better.

Flash, Actually I almost passed on it. It just bounced between penny and dime a bit and after four different pinpointing angles It read as a B size tagrget so I dug it. I thought it should have went nuts too and I don't know why it read B size. I found a sterling cross a while back with lots of sharp corners and straight edges and that really made the 2500 chirp even though it was much smaller.


Dahut, Funny you should mention the sterling mark falling out of use. This is only my fourth piece of sterling jewelry but none of them are marked numerically. The button has no markings anywhere, It's generic.

 

[dahut]

Great, informative responses.

Metal head, I found the hallmark online shortly after posting but had no idea it was common. It was made about 30 miles from home and about the same distance from where I found it. Homegrown sterling makes it even better.

Flash, Actually I almost passed on it. It just bounced between penny and dime a bit and after four different pinpointing angles It read as a B size tagrget so I dug it. I thought it should have went nuts too and I don't know why it read B size. I found a sterling cross a while back with lots of sharp corners and straight edges and that really made the 2500 chirp even though it was much smaller.


Dahut, Funny you should mention the sterling mark falling out of use. This is only my fourth piece of sterling jewelry but none of them are marked numerically. The button has no markings anywhere, It's generic.

The term "Sterling" was also commonly used on flatware, of course. HEre is some Sterling silver triva:
Pure silver, also called fine silver, is relatively soft, very malleable, and easily damaged so it is commonly combined with other metals to produce a more durable product. The most popular of these alloys is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.

Although any metal can make up the 7.5 percent non-silver portion of sterling, centuries of experimentation have shown copper to be its best companion, improving the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its beautiful color.

Most high quality silver items are stamped with a "fineness" or "quality" mark. This mark designates the precious metal content of the jewelry, and under federal law, must be accompanied by a maker's mark or registered trademark.
I dont think this applies to silver from other countries. A lot of it is found with only the .925 mark - I suspect this silver comes from places not subject to our federal law.

Sterling silver is most often used for jewelry and household accessories because of its combination of beauty and durability. Acceptable quality marks for sterling silver include:
sterling
sterling silver
ster
.925

- In Greek mythology, both Apollo and his twin sister Artemis carried silver bows they had been given at birth, and silver is considered one of the seven sacred metals, predating the Periodic Table.

- It is the traditional gift for a 25th anniversary and is called the Queen of Metals.
- Today, just under 1/3 of the silver produced in the world is used for jewelry and silverware.
- Mexico leads the world in silver mining, followed by Peru, Australia, China, and Poland. The US and Canada are 7th and 8th.

Sterling silver contains no nickel, so people with nickel allergies may find sterling comfortable to wear.

Four reasons sterling silver is a better jewelry metal than gold:
1. Silver is the most reflective metal; it even outshines gold.
2. It enjoys a greater flexibility than gold, moving from casual wear to chic glamour easily.
3. Silver's white color is flattering to all skin tones.
4. It's incredibly affordable, and there are no karats to consider.

The story of how the word "sterling" was incorporated into the name is rooted in 12th-century lore. As payment for English cattle, an association of eastern Germans compensated the British with silver coins dubbed "Easterlings." Eventually, the Easterling was widely accepted as a standard of English currency. The name was ultimately abbreviated to "Sterling," which is now used to refer to the highest grade of silver metal.

The term Sterling seems to be plenty in use, still, among the jewelry trade. I see it linked to the decimal ".925" more than I recall in the past, though.. You learn something new every day in this hobby!