A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER |
| an article of Fred van Staden, for ASCAS - Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver |
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(click on photos to enlarge image)
HALLMARKING OF TWENTIETH CENTURY SOUTH AFRICAN PRECIOUS METAL ARTEFACTS
ENDNOTES
Note 1: D. Wemyss, Bounty of Silver, Collecting old silver can be a rewarding and interesting hobby, South African Garden & Home, December
1992, p. 18. Note 2: Author unknown, The silversmiths of the old Cape: Hall-marking scheme introduced in 1715, The Diamond News and the S.A. Watchmaker and Jeweller, December 1950, pp. 51-54. Also, J. Ambrose Brown, South African Art , Macdonald South Africa, Cape Town, 1978, p. 50. Note 3: An assay office is responsible for testing the metal content of precious metal products. All approved items are then certified with a hallmark stamp. Author unknown, Assays - what happens, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller,, December 1984, p. 6. Note 4: Author unknown, Urgent need for government hall-mark system, The Diamond News and the S.A.Watchmaker and Jeweller, August 1942, pp. 30-31. Also, author unknown, More jewellery marking worries, The Diamond News and the S.A. Jeweller, , November 1958, p. 32, as well as author unknown, Proposed marking up of all jewellery, The Diamond News and the S.A. Jeweller,, September 1958, p. 5. Note 5: L. Dellatola, Jewellery Council, South African Panorama, 18(12), 1973, p. 4. Note 6: J. Hobbs, SA hallmarking - one step nearer, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller,, December 1984, pp. 3, 6 & 32. Note 7: L. Loyd, SA stamp compulsory for all locally produced products, SA Jewellery-biz News, 2013, p.1, week 07. Note 8: J. Ritchy, Specification for marking articles made of gold, ref. 15/12/1, SABS No. 29, 01 March 1948. Specifications for the assay of 22ct, 18ct, 15ct and 9ct gold was provided. and J. Ritchy, Specification for marking articles made of sterling silver, ref. 15/12/1, SABS No. 30, 01 March 1948. Also, Vowles, M. Hallmarking in South Africa: dead or alive? SABS Bulletin, 17(2), June 1998, pp. 5, 7 & 8. Note 9: A. Boddy, Letter addressed to the South African Mint, 15 January 1973. Note 10: J. van Heerden, Hallmarks on SA silver, SABS, Letter to Mr A. Boddy, 12 November 1975. Note 11: From the Boddy portfolio: Notes on the work of Radoslav Kirov from R & G Metal Art indicate that he continued using the dating mark until its completion in 1999. Note 12: SABS Standards Division, South African National Standard: Articles made of precious metals, SANS document 29:2011, Edition 4, March 2011. The document … specifies the range of fineness and the composition of precious metals, and lays down requirements for the marking of articles made of precious metals (p.3). The table indicating the designation of precious metal content and its marking is provided on p.6. Note 13: SABS Standards Division,South African National Standard: Articles made of precious metals, SANS document 29:2011, Edition 4, March 2011, p.8. Note 14: Interview: Mr G. Foden, Johannesburg, 2009-10-28. Also, South African jewellery buyers continue to prefer 9 carat whereas the international market prefers 14 carats, from www.goldinsouthafrica.com, Gold in South Africa Report, Chapter 4, p. 84, 2005, accessed on 2012-02-16. Note 15: Author unknown, A hallmarking system for South Africa, SABS Bulletin , 4(2), October 1974, p. 31. Also, author unknown, clipping from the Boddy portfolio, SABS Bulletin, 4(10), June 1975, pp. 222-226. Note 16: L. Loyd, ZA stampcompulsory for all locally produced products, SA Jewellery News March 2013, p.1, week 07. 8. Also, author unknown, ZA stamp comes to Jewellex 2014, SA Jewellery News, May 2014, p. 8. Note 17: Interview: Mr Lourens Maré, CEO, Jewellery Council of South Africa, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2012-04-10. Note 18: E-mail: D. Boddy - F.van Staden, RE: Updated version 19 June 2014 provided the following synoptic biography of his father ARTHUR HENRY BODDY : Born 1904-Worked for Guardian Insurance Company retiring in April 1968. His son David, began collecting silver as a 14 year old boy, and Arthur started to create his yellow card index system registering over 6000 silversmiths of whom there was either a photographic reference to their work or prices realized at auction. These were collated from the Connoisseur Magazines together with hundreds of silver sale catalogues, books and pamphlets on the subject. In the early 1970’s he started research on post 1948 South African silver compiling a research record of this history and a list of silversmiths and their marks. This gave him hours of pleasure.. David did the collecting whilst Arthur did the research, a warm father/son collaboration. At the age of 73 Arthur suddenly passed away in 1977of a heart attack. His retired son continues the work his father began all those years ago. Note 19: The listing of maker’s marks were summarised from the notes of Mr A. Boddy. In most cases the information was confirmed by letters from the silversmiths themselves, or the South African Bureau of Standards or The Jewellery Manufacturers Association of South Africa , or the South African Mint, or by published articles. Note 20: A.H. Boddy, Letter addressed to Mr A.H. Fahn, Empangeni, 25 January 1975. Note 21: W.S. van As, S.A. Mint, Letter to Mr A Boddy, 13 November 1972. Also, a follow up letter by Boddy, (dated 15 January 1973), requesting an indication of the number of hallmark punches that were sold by the Mint, appears to have been ignored. The Boddy portfolio also includes a letter from Mrs. G. E. P. How (of Edinburgh), residing in St. James street, London, dated 8 March 1973 in which she regrets the lack of co-operation Boddy was receiving from the S.A. Mint. Note 22: A.H. Boddy, Letter to Mr E.S. Fyfe, Director of the Jewellery Council of South Africa, 13 December 1974. Note 23: J van Heerden, Director General: SABS, Hallmarks on SA Silver, Letter to Mr A Boddy, 24 November 1972. Note 24: Apart from being listed by the SABS, no additional information could be obtained. Note 25: L. Muller (for the proprietor F.A. De Meillon), Letter to Mr A Boddy, 28 February 1973. In 1972 Frans de Meillon and Ron Stuart produced a 5 piece silver tea service based on protea designs, weighing 125 troy ounces (newspaper cutting from the Boddy portfolio: author unknown, Poetry in silver, Tribune, 03 December 1972). Note 26: Notes from the Boddy portfolio. Note 27: Author unknown, Up to the Mark, Newspaper clipping from the Boddy portfolio, dated 3 October 1975. Also, J. van Heerden, Hallmarks on SA silver, SABS, Letter to Mr A. Boddy, 12 November 1975. Note 28: N. Groenewald, S.A. Mint, Letter to Mr A Boddy, 9 August 1972. Also, F van Staden, Legacies of immigrant gold- and silversmiths during early and mid-twentieth century South Africa, South African Journal of Cultural History, 27(1), June 2013, pp. 143-144. Note 29: S. English, Sales manager: E Tiessen (Pty) Ltd., Letter to Mr A Boddy, 24 January 1973. Note 30: R. Venables, Norman Watson Engraver & Manufacturing Jeweller, Letter to Mr A Boddy, 16 March 1973. Note 31: B. Fitzgerald, Manufacturing to the mark of quality, SABS Bulletin, June 1998, pp. 25-26. Note 32: From the Boddy portfolio: Author unknown, Standardisation marks of the SABS, March 1974, p. iii. Apart from being listed, no additional information could be obtained. Note 33: D. Wemyss, Bounty of silver, South African Garden & Home, December 1992, p. 168. Note 34: From the Boddy portfolio: Article on p.25, scrap book nr. 9. Note 35: L.J. Coombes, Secretary of the Jewellery Manufacturers' Association of South Africa (Transvaal Branch), letter addressed to Mr. A. Boddy, 2 November, 1972. Note 36: Unpublished document, Constitution of the Goldsmiths Guild of South Africa, signatories of founding members, 1973. Shortly thereafter, another well-known goldsmith Franz Huppertz joined the Guild. Note 37: Peter Cullman and founder members, Constitution of the Goldsmiths Guild of S.A./Goudsmede Gilde van Suid-Afrika 1973, p. 1. Note 38: Interview: Mr D. Shilofsky, manufacturing jeweller and gemmologist, Lynnwood, Pretoria, 2009-09-30. Membership of the Jewellery Council was also optional. Note 39: Ms B. Maree, Skoonheid uit die natuur, Suid-Afrikaanse Panorama, January 1986, p. 37. Note 40: L. Dellatola, Precious jewels, South African Panorama, January 1975, pp. 32-33. Also, author unknown, Eg Suid-Afrikaanse sierade, Die Huisgenoot, 18 Junie 1976, p. 69, as well as E. Phillips, They are creating beauty in metal, 1975, unreferenced newspaper clipping courtesy of goldsmith Hartmut Jäger. Note 41: Author unknown, Smiths open Rosebank Gallery, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller, August 1979, pp. 6 & 7. Author unknown, Gold gleanings, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller, November 1979, pp. 13 and 42. See also unknown author, Timeless gold keeps pace with the latest fashions, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller, September 1981, pp. 25 & 27. Note 42: F. van Staden, South African metal design between 1960 and 1980, Unpublished manuscript intended for submission to the SSouth African Journal of Cultural History, 2013. E-mail correspondence: K. Donau - F. van Staden, Kurt Donau, 2012-02-01. Note 43: E-mail correspondence: K. Donau - F. van Staden, Kurt Donau, 2012-02-01. E-mail correspondence: K. Donau – F. van Staden, Kurt Donau, 2012-02-01. Note 44: Strauss & Co, Catalogue for the auction of South African art, jewellery and decorative arts, on 06 February 2012 in Cape Town, Strauss & Co (Pty) Ltd, pp. 84-87, 2012. Note 45: E-mail, H. Jäger - F. van Staden, Ilse, Hartmut and the SA Goldsmiths Guild, 13 December 2012. Also, e-mail, H. Jäger - F. van Staden, 3rd lot of pictures from Hartmut, 15 December 2012 and e-mail, H. Jäger – F. van Staden, A few more answers, 17 December 2012. E-mail, L. Kratz - F. van Staden, Re: Goldsmiths: E & L Kratz, 14 August, 2012. E-mail, P. Cullman - F. van Staden, Goldsmiths Guild et al, 2012-07-12, as well as Re: Goldsmiths Guild, et al, 2012-07-14. Note 46: Interview: Mr & Mrs Coetzee, Goldsmith owners of Erich Frey Jewellers, Montana, Pretoria, 2009-09-18. Also, J. Hobbs, SA hallmarking - one step nearer, Diamond News and S.A. Jeweller, December 1984, pp. 3, 6 & 32. Note 47: Readers with information to contribute in amending or extending this list are invited to send their comments to the author or to respond on www.goldsmiths.org.za where this article is electronically posted. Note 48: S.B. Wyler, The Book of Old Silver, Crown Publishers, New York, undated, ISBN: 0-517-00089X. Also, R.& T. Kovel. Kovel's American Silver Marks 1650 to the Present, Crown Publishers, New York, 1986. Note 49: See note 7. Note 50: Felix Vetter was a master goldsmith with sophisticated engraving talents with which he created sculptural roses as part of his designs. After casting his jewellery pieces he would shape them by carving and engraving the pieces with self-fabricated tools. He was interred in Namibia during WWII. During this time he created rings with flower patterns engraved on the inner band along with his maker's mark. The stones he used were ground by hand. In the early 1950s he won first prize in the creative jewellery section of the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. He had exceptional upper body/arm strength. He was married in the 1950s to the Berlin-born Editha. They had no children. He died of a heart attack one afternoon in the late 1960s in his Jeppe Street studio. 'He was a true renaissance gentleman'. E-mail: P. Muser, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (19 January 2014), Felix Vetter was a close friend of Muser's father. Note 51: F. van Staden, Joe Calafato: A late twentieth century South African precious metal artist, South African Journal of Cultural History, 24(1), June 2010, pp. 130-131. back to the article HALLMARKING OF TWENTIETH CENTURY SOUTH AFRICAN PRECIOUS METAL ARTEFACTS
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