posted 08-03-2008 09:03 AM            

When did they started with the 925 silver alloy in India?.

How can you recognize sterling (925) India silver?.
Which marks can be found at (real)silver objects from India?
How many marks been used with 925 indicated silver?

Silversmith? Silver alloy stamp? etc?
I think a good knowledge of silver before to buy silver in the catagory old Indian silver.

The reason I ask all these questions is that I have seen a tea set in a shop, the only information was, that the figures 925 were printed at little labels and the worth "silver" were printed in the bottom.

It was very expensive and it looked like silver plated to me, I saw copper shining through!
Perhaps I can make next time a photo of the set.
I wonder if there's a lot of misleading silver from that area?

And the last question is was the influence of Great Brittain strong in perhaps the design of tea sets in a certain period?

The purpose of this topic is hopefully find out about silver of India and reactions don't support to buy this set because it's much to expensive for me.

But perhaps it will help a lot of people, to learn about India silver.

posted 08-03-2008 03:11 PM            

There are/were individual firms and smiths who used marks of different sorts, including English-inspired pseudohallmarks. And some do use and have used a 925 mark. The collecting of Indian colonial export silver is growing, and there are some fakes appearing as well. New production done for export to the trade is usually marked 925 or sterling.

Locally one buys metals face-to-face from a trusted source, so marks are not important. And if there is any question the metal will be tested, often right before your eyes. So for old Indian silver (and gold), most pieces, especially those for local trade, will not be marked but some, especially those made for westerners, may be. And new production generally follows the same pattern, seldom marked if made for local consumption, often if made for export sale.

For local consumption, as in much of Asia, Indians generally prefer high-purity metals and much of what is made is likely of sterling or higher quality. But those who cannot afford it always have the option of lower-grade metals, which one sees often in tribal pieces, for example. Stones are also subject to this economizing; I've seen pieces combining real diamonds and glass in high-karat gold, for example.