Questiongood morning. i have recently seen a piece(locking bangle) with the marks "pat.jan08" on one side of the hatch and "JM or JMT & CO." on the other side of the hatch. very tiny.
i cannot find anything on the net about these hallmarks.
the piece appears to be gold and has 3 pinkish, red stones set in the top of the bangle. the piece does not seem solid. but i am 99% sure it is gold.
any information on this piece would be greatly appreciated.
thankyou for your time and expertise.
AnswerG'day Mich and many thanks for your query.
You didn't say where you live Mich, so I'm going to assume it's the States?
You also didn't say if this was a new item or an estate item, but again, I am going to assume it is at least secondhand if not Vintage.
Hinged Bangles are generally hollow and to increase the 'Apparent' weight - are filled with jewelers wax to make them appear heavy. There's a great article about this on the 20th Century Antique Jewelry Website.
The marks (stamped or engraved?) could simply be as a ID or gift mark for 'Pat' whose Birthday or Anniversary was January 8th? The other Marks would be the Manufacture or Maker's Marks but the only JM would be for John Moore of Dublin - many years ago in the 18th Century.
So you see why it is important to know how old - AND - where you live or purchased the item. The History is always a great clue when we try to track down an item's past.
The gems are possibly garnets or garnet doublets, but without seening them and testing..? Maybe pink sapphire? - They are Not just blue.
You need to take the item to a qualified appraiser and have them do a full (expensive) report on it. That's the only way you will know for sure.
Hope this helps.
