Unknown Asian(?) mark...silver deathmask(?) bracelet

[paulb4]

Thanks for any help. In 20 months all I've been able to find out is the carvings are from bone. Each pendant is marked. Each mark is is only 1mm by 1mm yet the downturned hand is amazingly detailed. Too obscure??Am very glad to find this great site. This is my first posting...please excuse any mistakes.

[silverport]

It seems to be very rare: Assay Mark of Cairo, Egypt — 600-1,000 fineness.

Hello »paulb4«

Welcome to the Forum.

The Assay mark of Cairo is in the here from you published photo shown upside down.

Please look here (Egypt, top left mark): http://www.925-1000.com/foreign_marks.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is mentioned, that Egypt has silver finenesses of: 900-1,000; 800-1,000; 700-1,000. That they also have 600-1,000 fineness isn't mentioned yet; sorry.

But the here shown first Arabic numerals signification is in Arabic = 6; and in modern Egypt Assay mark is the signification of a big rhomb = 00 (in former times were there two little rhombi).

Also the heavy tarnished appearance is like »Niello« or »Tula silver«. But in this case, it seems to me that the reason of this is the high percentage of copper (40 %) in this low grade silver fineness.

The theater masks could be made from bone — as you say, you’ve already observed and researched.

Kind regards silverport

[ValkyrieVixen]

I posted earlier but it seems to have disappeared. The masks are usually Japanese, Noh Theater masks I believe. Niello is an enamel inlay so it's more likely just heavy tarnish.

[silverport]

Assay marks in a square of 1 mm by 1 mm were regulated by a decree from 30 December 1964

Hello »paulb4«

You’ve reported, that the assay marks on yours bracelet were very tiny, of approximate 1mm by 1 mm square. That’s correct observed from you — congratulations!

The »Arabic Union Republic« had on 30 December 1964 published (?) a decree, nr. 410, which also the dimensions of the assay marks has regulated:

A tinny assay mark in a square of 1 mm by 1 mm
A little assay mark in a square of 1.5 mm by 1.5 mm
A “normal” assay mark in a square of 2 mm by 2 mm

Sorry, because my mother language isn’t Arabic, so I’ve many difficulties to read, and also of course to understand correct the published message.

In Egypt’s past existed some (British) regulations of assay marks — maybe also of their dimensions?

But if there were before not similar regulations, then it could maybe stated, that yours bracelet is assayed from about 1965 on?

You see, I know only a very tiny slice of the big “cake” — but I hope, it helps you a little bit.

Kind regards silverport

[paulb4]

Thanks so very much!
Paul