Identifying a Vintage 18k Gold Hand Amulet with 'EC' Marking

Question
Bill and Sally I have a carved coral hand set in 18k gold cuff with bail stamped 18k on one side and a star 420 or 428 on other. On the cuff that holds the coral hand (clenched with thumb protruding between index and third finger) is a stamp that I think says EC. Can you tell me please what the EC might mean? Thank you  
Julie

Answer
Hello Julie and thank you for your inquiry. The "figa fist" you describe was considered good luck when given to someone. Yours sounds particularly nice. The star 420 or 428 could be a design mark - I don't have a reference to it being part of the metal content except that prior to 1906 the content was sometimes marked with a number and a star i.e. 18 * and it actually meant gold-filled. The EC is probably the manufacturer mark and I haven't been able to locate that particular letter combination in my resources. I've put it on my "search" list and if I come up with a name, I'll let you know.