www.925-1000.com

Hi,

Below are two pics of a mark from a six-piece sterling tea set. The set has been in the family since at least as early as our grandparents and no one seems to remember anything about its provenance. I'm guessing American at the moment, but please excuse the incorrect categorization if it's actually British or something else. I went through the mark catalog, and tried searching the forums for "wing" and "wreath" variations, but had no luck so I am posting this.

I apologize for the poor picture quality -- I took about 25 pics of the bottom of the piece and these were the best, after being Photoshopped to clean up. Photographing silver is rather like photographing a mirror. :D I'll describe the marks on the bottom to help.

The maker's mark appears to be a wreath in a horseshoe shape flanked by wings on either side. Text on the bottom of the piece reads "Hand Chased," "Sterling," and "225."




Any assistance anyone can provide will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Could you try putting a solid black or white solid behind it to absorb the light and reduce the mirror affect? I had a really hard time photographing silver at first too. Stand off to the side a bit, near the same level as the piece. Don't try to center it, aim instead slightly off to the side where the flash doesn't bounce into the area. The light across the surface area is brightened by silver's natural reflective properties, so you should be more concerned with where the flash is going than getting the object in the middle. When you get frustrated with the camera, just remember: Modern Photography is possible largly because of silver. When you aim directly at a close range at a large silver object, you are inserting too much energy for that area. Simply think of sending the light around and catching the marks in the glimpse. Don't tell, but I "stage" silver to have it photograph as best as possible.

I hope that helps and you don't end up with a pile of bad pics like I did. I'm no expert, for sure, I think I was the worst. Good luck!

Regards,

Destiny

This looks like the mark that is commonly attributed to Durham Silver Co which was active in Bridgeport, Connecticut in the 1880's. "Rainwater" notes that there was a Durham Silver Company in business in New York City circa 1950.