London Hallmarked Sterling Silver Fiddle Pattern Salt Spoons

• Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
  
  The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
  
  - silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
  
  - the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
  
  - the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
  
  - a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
  
  The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
  
  Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings.
• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Goldsmiths' Alliance - The Goldsmiths' Alliance was a trade association for goldsmiths and silversmiths in London, England. It was founded in the late 19th century and was active until the 1960s. The organisation represented the interests of goldsmiths and silversmiths in London and provided a range of services to its members, including legal assistance, business advice, and financial support. It also promoted the work of its members and helped to ensure that high standards of craftsmanship and ethics were maintained within the industry. The Goldsmiths' Alliance was affiliated with the Goldsmiths' Company, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious goldsmithing organizations in the world.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• silver cutlery / flatware, patterns - fiddle pattern 1,129
• spoons, silver - salt 56