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Bracelet Hallmarks: Decoding DG, Lion Passant, and More


Question
my braclet tells:First comes the letters DG in what appears to be the shape of an open book/shield, next comes the lion passant, then 925,then a sheid to the best of my eyes followed by the letter Z. Can you help with the identification of DG? or what the Z means? Many thanks.

Answer
Kirsteen,

I wouldn't know that without looking through websites and doing the research myself.

Here's a little info to think about and some places to do research that may help you decipher it.

Many manufacturers use a stamp or maker's mark in their pieces to identify their jewelry as a label and for warranty purposes.  Because jewelry stamps can only contain a limited amount of detail, many times a variation of a company logo is used or the initials of the manufacturer or designer within the manufacturer's line.

Many countries throughout history have also developed their own hallmarks that have been placed into jewelry made within that country to identify origin, time frame, and metal content.

There are thousands of manufacturers around the world today. If you then think of all that have been closed, consolidated, design lines within manufacturer umbrellas, or changed names/logos...then consider the number of years that a piece of jewelry can remain in existence, it could be the mark of any one of tens of thousands of manufacturers worldwide.  

With all of these variables, it could be extremely difficult to ever determine whose mark it is, but here are some links that you can go to that may help you to learn more:

http://www.modernsilver.com/basichallmarks.htm
http://www.center4jewelrystudies.org/ref_edinfosites.html
http://www.925-1000.com/
http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/jc/JewelChatMarks.html
http://www.modernsilver.com/MYSTMARKS.html
http://www.illusionjewels.com/costumejewelrymarks.html


Good luck.  Hope you find what you are looking for.