A guide to Australian antique and vintage jewellery marks

Many aspects of Australian society and culture were inherited or adapted from England. However, the tradition of assaying (testing purity) and stamping goods made of precious metals, otherwise known as hallmarking did not take root in the new colony. Hallmarks are literally marks of the hall, which in the case of England refers to Goldsmiths' Hall and the series of assay offices established to enforce standards. The early days of Australia were fast and loose, trying to establish order in a harsh landscape, with inadequate supplies and relying heavily on the use of convict (prisoner) labour. The threat of total collapse or rebellion was real. It’s no wonder that hallmarking wasn’t at the top of the agenda!

However, the influx of immigrants to Australia included many talented goldsmiths, jewellers, watchmakers and related trades coming from the UK (including some convicts!) and the German states (particularly in South Australia). The gold rush in Victoria gave them the raw materials and the resulting economic boom created a market for high end goods, including many amazing pieces made in 15ct (15k) gold. Jewellery was also showcased as part of exhibitions, showing off colonial ingenuity. Many of these pieces are now in museum collections. Marks on jewellery varied, with some makers continuing to use English style marks, whereas others developed their own to reflect their own individuality. There were some local attempts to standardise marking, but to this day maker’s marks are optional and there is no centralised system or format for marking jewellery in Australia.

Pseudo hallmarks
These look like like English hallmarks, but aren’t. In the absence of standards, some new Australian jewellers chose to stamp their own English hallmark style marks. These often look slightly crude, not as crisp and may lack one or more elements of a standard hallmark set (usually sponsor’s mark/maker’s mark, crown, purity of gold and then date letter). The intention here was not necessary to deceive, servicing a mainly British clientele, they were simply giving them something they were familiar with and a clear indication of quality. However, since they are not authentic English hallmarks, they don’t give you a precise year (date letter) and have not been formally assayed (tested). They may or may not be able to be traced to an individual maker.

	The marks on the back of this 9ct gold heart pendant look like English hallmarks on first glance, but the order and style of the stamps are nonsensical aside from the '9' to denote 9ct gold.
	These marks very closely resemble English hallmarks, but when you look closely, there are odd details such as the sideways '9' in the diamond shaped box.

Personal name or place name
Many Australian jewellers chose to keep it simple, marking their pieces with their last name, last name and initials, or initials only. Sometimes this can be seen in combination with a place name (for example Adelaide, a city in South Australia). Pieces stamped with the last name of a maker and a city are usually relatively easy to trace, however some pieces stamped with initials only with no place name may remain a mystery forever.

	22ct gold band by Henry Steiner of Adelaide (late 19th century).
	18ct gold paste ring by William John Coote of Sydney (late 19th century/early 20th century).
	18ct gold old mine cut diamond cigar band by Joachim Matthias Wendt of Adelaide (late 19th century).
	9ct gold intaglio ring by Otto Treichel of Melbourne (late 19th century/early 20th century).
	9ct gold signet ring by George and Ernest Rodd of Melbourne (mid 20th century).

Pictorial marks
Instead of marking with names, some chose to use only simple pictures (pictorial marks) to identify their pieces. These marks are quite common in antique Australian jewellery and there are many well known jewellers who used them. Pictorial marks became part of a relatively short lived standard for marking developed by the Manufacturing Jewellers’ Association (Victoria and New South Wales). A similar approach is currently used by members of The Gold & Silversmiths Guild of Australia.

	18ct gold old mine cut diamond ring by Larard Brothers of Melbourne (late 19th century).
	15ct gold engraved heart padlock by Willis & Sons of Melbourne (early 20th century).
	15ct gold band by Dumbrells of Melbourne (early 20th century).
	9ct gold paste ring by Joseph Lawrence of Melbourne (early 20th century).

Combination marks

Marks that include a selection of the pseudo hallmarks, names and pictorial marks.

	15ct gold ruby and diamond ring by W.F. Cole of Brisbane (late 19th century/early 20th century).
	18ct gold old mine cut ring by William James Bower of Melbourne (late 19th century/early 20th century).
	18ct gold band by Prouds of Sydney (early-mid 20th century).

 

Antique Australian jewellery shows a rich variety of marks, reflecting the individuality of makers as well as a rapidly changing (and sometimes chaotic!) society. This variety of marks makes attribution sometimes difficult, but adds to the allure and collectibility of antique Australian jewellery.