Unmarked But Tested Silver - Is This Enameled Box Silver

[SYNCHRONICITY]

Hi. I am new to this board so I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong category.

I got this unusual, small, old unmarked metal box recently. Someone was selling it on eBay and it came from an estate sale. It was filthy and missing some stones and some pearls. The pearls look real to me, but the colored stones might just be glass. I added two glass vintage rhinestones to the two missing spots on the top and cleaned it up a little. The two rhinestones I added were not a perfect match for the missing ones, but it will do for now until I find more suitable replacements. I intend to replace the missing pearls too one day.

It got cleaner, but still needs a thorough cleaning. It is hard to get inside all those nooks and crannies and I was afraid I would dislodge the delicate little wired pearls further if I scrubbed it. The inside was tarnished badly too, but after a some elbow grease with some silver polish, it turned golden in color.

I think it may be Russian because of the enameling, but I can be wrong. It has what appears to be a Star Of David on the bottom so it might be Jewish. I tested it with 18kt acid a few times and the streaks on the testing stone turned blue (milky blue) all three times. I think it is old because the layers of filth on it were encrusted and at first I thought it was brass or copper because of all the layers of filth and tarnish on it. It took a long time for that amount of filth to build up on it so I do not think it is a newly made piece, but am definitely no expert. I hunted all over and I cannot find any markings on it at all unless it is hiding somewhere. Is this a snuff, pill or rosary bead relic box by any chance?

Enclosed are photos of before and after I started to clean it. I am curious about it because it seems like an odd little box. Thanks for your help in advance. I really appreciate it.

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/QAxFgzK

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I'm so sorry. I tried to embed photos here with links and it didn't seem to work. The link to my Imgur photo album is there though. Let me know if you can see the photos. So sorry for the inconvenience.

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I'm batting a thousand as they say, lol. Sorry for all the screwups. I meant to ask in my title, Is this enameled silver box Russian by any chance?

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I am so sorry for being such an idiot. I just figured out how to add photos:

[AG2012]

Hi,
I think the origin of this box should be searched elsewhere outside Europe.
Regards

[SYNCHRONICITY]

Hi,
I think the origin of this box should be searched elsewhere outside Europe.
Regards

Wow! That was a quick reply. So it is not European?
Thanks so much. I appreciate you.

[Aguest]

:::::: Morocco has that exact same star symbol on their coins from the 19th century ::::::
:::::: Morocco has a tradition of silver boxes with semi-precious stones so that is a second clue ::::
:::::: If you want to get really specific, there is a really incredible tradition of silversmiths that comes from a semi-nomadic people known as the "Tuareg" people and here's a little description of them for future reference ::::::::

"Tuareg culture is rich in history and tradition. A semi-nomadic Berber people, the Tuareg inhabit a large area of the middle and western Sahara and travel throughout Algeria, Mali, Niger and as far as Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria. In fact, Tuareg people don't perceive the Sahara as one desert, but as many. They call the Sahara "Tinariwen" which means "the deserts". The Tuareg language is spoken by more than 1 million people. Extraordinary silversmiths."

::::::: So it could be a box made by a Tuareg silversmith specifically for the Moroccan silver market, but it could have been made by a silversmith permanently based in Morocco with no connection to the Tuareg people. ::::

:::::::::::::::::::: If not Morocco/Tuareg then where else would you consider this box origin? ::::::::

[AG2012]

@Aguest

I am so glad you mentioned Tuareg(Berber, Imazighen) culture and their extraordinary skill in silvermithing, enamelling.
Sometimes their jewelry is described as tribal jewelry, which is the utmost ignorance because Imazighen people are not a tribe but older nation than every known civilization, they lived at the same time as ancient Egypt, confronted ancient Rome, and mixed with Germanic tribes in north Africa (blue eyed Berbers).
Amazing culture in every aspect.
Regards

[Aguest]

:::::: I knew an antiques dealer who specialized in glass trade beads and many were sourced from Africa so the Tuareg silver got swept up with the bead trade so that's how I bought my Tuareg silver pieces. :::: I have one ring that is really old and worn where you can see a tightly woven basket of hemp/flax or some other dried grass that has been woven into the setting where a rock-crystal cabochon with a cloudy surface. :::: This stone is really old too, an expert told me he thought it was Ancient Roman in origin, which is interesting that you mention Ancient Rome. :::: I've never heard of another silversmith tradition that used dried plant material in the interior of their ring settings. :::: Had the ring not worn off in the interior of the band where you take the ring on-and-off the finger constantly I would never have seen that tightly woven dried plant material there :::::

::::: The Tuareg silver traditions overlap other cultures (for instance silver from Yemen) so it's hard to tell sometimes where Tuareg begins and another culture takes over, so sometimes it's hard to pinpoint the exact country of origin for an object. :::::

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Wow! You all are so awesome!! I really learned some cool things today. I would have never guessed Moroccan. Now I have lots of things to google which fascinates and interests me. I love looking up these sort of things and doing research.

So would you say this box is old/antique? Any idea of the age by any chance? I could have sworn it was Russian and no wonder, it isn't marked. The Russians marked their things so I was at a dead end. I had no idea at all that they used that type of star pattern in Morocco. I'm so glad you all have replied to me. It is very appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

[Aguest]

:::: If there's no hallmarks anywhere, even on the outside of that gilded part where the lid fits into the body (sometimes tiny hallmarks like to hide there), then you would have to just start thinking about the construction of the box and little details that might give away the age. :::: For instance the chain that the pearls are strung on, it's possible that the construction of that chain could be dated somehow (similar to how pins are dated based on the type of clasp found on them) but unfortunately I am not an expert on dating pearl strings, but someone might know how to do that. ::::

::::: Also if those are "flour-de-lis" around the body of the box that might indicate a French influence which was certainly in Morocco in the first half of the 20th century as France gained a huge amount of influence in 1912. :::: The silversmithing techniques are very traditional so it's hard to say if this is circa 1880 or circa 1920 because the techniques would have been preserved and passed down to younger silversmiths. :::::

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Thanks for the tips on figuring out the clues to get an age. The pearls have drilled hole and are attached to the box by metal wires. Upon close inspection the gems look like rock crystal or some kind of glass. I looked over every single spot including under the hinges, in the corners, etc with a loupe and there are no marks anywhere. I didn't notice the Fleur de Lis. Good catch!

When I got it, I thought it was Russian, French or Austro Hungarian, but now that I have been googling I see why you think it is Moroccan. The Star Of David threw me off big time and I thought it was made by a Russian Jewish metal worker or silversmith. It never would have occurred to me if I wouldn't have gotten your reply that it was from that area. I had no idea that Moroccans used that type of Cloisonné/champlevé enameling.

I had no idea it was silver and thought it was gilt brass or copper until I tested it several times for silver with the 18kt gold acid. Each time I dropped the acid on the stone it turned a beautiful milky blue color so then I knew it had to be silver. I only tested the edges of the hinges through so it could be mixed metals in other spots.

So glad I found this forum. You all are so wonderful. I appreciate you so much.

[AllSeasons]

I had no idea it was silver and thought it was gilt brass or copper until I tested it several times for silver with the 18kt gold acid. Each time I dropped the acid on the stone it turned a beautiful milky blue color so then I knew it had to be silver. I only tested the edges of the hinges through so it could be mixed metals in other spots.

For figuring out silver content, I would really recommend taking it to a jeweler or silversmith who has an XRF (X-ray) machine. Scratch tests are not effective in determining whether a piece is solid silver or silver-plate, since both could test positive for silver. Another (invasive) way to figure it out is to use a nitric acid test, which involves cutting into the piece, so may not be desirable. Hence, an XRF test is likely the way to go, but XRF machines cost tens of thousands of US dollars, and in most cases, only serious businesses dealing with precious metals would have one.

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Okay thanks for that info. It was very informative. It is not worth it for me to bother doing that. I'm not going to try to sell it and even if I were, that would be way too cost prohibitive and a test or tests like that would most likely exceed the value of the item if it has any value. I appreciate your comment.

[AllSeasons]

Okay thanks for that info. It was very informative. It is not worth it for me to bother doing that. I'm not going to try to sell it and even if I were, that would be way too cost prohibitive and a test or tests like that would most likely exceed the value of the item if it has any value. I appreciate your comment.

Sorry I wasn't clear. If you take it to a jeweler, and if they have an XRF machine, they would test it for you for free. And you don't have to sell it to them if you don't want to.

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Oh okay, lol. Sometimes I have ADHD and don't comprehend what I read well. That's awesome to hear. Maybe I will get around to doing that someday.
I appreciate all your replies and info.

[gsmoggy]

Hi Members
very interesting box,always a mystery when items are not marked ,I agree with others comments that it may be a Moroccan box,Just a thought if Armenian may be another possibility?
Regards Guido.