Posted 8 years ago
thesoylent1
(3 items)
My wife inherited this bracelet around 10 years ago. We know nothing at all about the history of this bracelet. We think it is of Russian origin because of the styling and the font of the letters on the large hemisphere which forms part of the clasp, from what we can see the letters are: K A B H K E Z? there appear to be some hallmarks etc.. on the male part of the clasp but they are too small to see with the magnification aids I have. I can however read the inscription on the rear of the large hemisphere which forms the female part of the clasp it reads: D.J 31st Dec 1911, there is also a small stamp in the middle which is a simple R. N in lower case . If any experts/collectors have seen anything like this we would really like to know anything about this item. Thanks in advance and apologies for the poor photos.
The photos have all turned out to be orange, and very difficult to see clearly. Please can you repost - perhaps on a neutral background.
Yes no problem, my camera is being repaired at the moment so I am using my phone for the time being. I will re post better quality photos when I can!
The word spells out KAVKAZ' for the Caucasus mountains, a popular Russian resort area at the time. Your bracelet is Niello silver (the name for the technique for that black ornament). The marks would tell you the maker's name and the city where it was assayed (hallmarked) but the photos are too blurry to read. Genuine antique niello pieces are very collectible.
Here's a link to similar pieces posted by a long-time CW member:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/177968-russian-silver-niello-belt-buckle-marked
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/155931-rare-small-pendant-dagger-former-russian
Thanks for all the loves and informative comments. I will do some research and try to find out the maker and where it was assayed. Again Thank you all very much!