George III Sterling Silver Egg Cruet and Scottish Egg Spoons
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George III sterling silver egg cruet, hallmarked London, 1808, Sw (Samuel Whitford II or Samuel Wheatley), with central pedestal salt with swing handle, set above rectangular frame with gadrooned border, set with four tapered egg cups with gilt interiors, the four legs terminating in hoof feet, weight 820gm, height 21 cm (including handle) x 17 cm x 14 cm, together with four George III Scottish sterling silver egg spoons, hallmarked Edinburgh, 1821, Gf (George Fenwick), total combined silver weight 867gm, with remnant of the British antique Dealers Association label
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- 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.
- 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. - Gadrooning - A series of lobes usually as a border. In furniture gadrooning is found as carved decoration around the edges of table tops in the Chippendale and Jacobean style furniture. Gadrooning is also found as decoration on the rims of silver and ceramics.
- George Iii - George III (1738 - 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820.
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