Chinese Silver Napkin Ring

[drg642]

Hi, I believe this napkin ring is Chinese silver, but I'm not sure. 18K acid light scratch test on edge indicates good silver content on the surface, but I know this test can give a false positive for heavily plated items. Does anyone know the meaning of the marks, or of the enamel character on the front of the ring?

I've posted this question on another board and with their help have seen that the mark on the left on my napkin ring may be the same as one of the two marks found on several pieces of silver identified on-line as being made by Heng Li. I'm by no means sure of that, and the style does not look the same to me.

Weight is 27.5 grams, width is about 1 1/4 inches, and diameter is a little under 2 inches. The raised design looks like a separate piece of silver put on top of the flat background of the ring. Is there a name for this construction?

I have 2 of these, so I've shown the marks from both rings. I think the second mark is a little clearer. It is from the ring not pictured which is not in as good shape.

Thanks very much for any help with this.

[davidross]

Transliterated in Pinyin, the mark reads "Hong Xing." This mark bears no resemblance to that of Heng Li.

Another piece with this mark was posted some years back:

http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=33781

The speculation at that time was that this maker was active in the late 18th to early 19th century, or even as early as 1760, but that piece looked mid-19th century to me, while these napkin rings look late 19th century.

As far as I know, no additional information, not even the contemporary transliteration of Hong Xing's mark, has come to light. My suspicion is that this "Hong Xing" may be the same as the retailer "Hung Chong" who marked either "HC" or "Hung Chong & Co," but I have been unable to confirm that Hung Chong marked with Chinese characters only. For Hung Chong, see:

http://www.925-1000.com/forum/search.ph ... sf=msgonly

The character rendered in enamel on the napkin rings is the ubiquitous "double happiness" one still sees today on paper decorations and plastic dishes in Chinese restaurants.

Regards,

DR

[drg642]

Thank you DR, much appreciated. Do you mind if I share your information on the other Board where I have posted about this (antiquers.com)?

After posting here, on the other Board I was also told not Heng Li, but Hong Xing.

[davidross]

You are welcome.

I just reread our Posting Requirements "don'ts" section, and am unsure if we have any clear rule about cross-posting information between sites. I personally see no problem, but I would defer to our Admins, who will surely weigh in post-haste.

Regards,

David R

[dognose]

I see no problem with sharing information, it's surely what this forum is all about.

Trev.

[drg642]

Great, thanks.