How to Find Markings on Costume Jewelry

How to find markings on costume jewelry

• 1

  Start by collecting some old costume jewelry either you or your mother may have in an old jewelry box. Gather your magnifying glass or jewelers eye and sit down at a desk with a bright light above you. It is preferable to use a desk lamp.

• 2

  Examine your jewelry on the front, back and sides to determine if there is a jewelers mark that is seen with the naked eye. Depending on what type of jewelry you gather will depend on where to look for the mark. I will tell you where to look on various types of jewelry. Some jewelry will have a textured look on the back and somewhere in that texture is the jewelers mark. So you have to look carefully. Examine all your jewelry under the lamp because it makes it easier to read and see.

• 3

  Examine the clasp on your necklaces very well. Sometimes these marking are so small, you can only see them with a magnifying glass or jewelers eye. If you see something that looks like a scratch on it, it may possibly be the jewelers mark. Sometimes they will put them on the pendant itself. In this case, look on the back of the setting, on the sides, under extensions of the piece and even on the pendant hasp. Earrings are a little harder to find. They sometimes put them on the plastic back guards which can be removed. In this case, look on the back of the piece itself, on the setting. It usually has a trademark imprinted on the metal somewhere. These also, require a magnifying glass or a jewelers eye to see. Some clip on earrings will have the markings on the clip itself. This makes your job easier because there is no searching to do. Just simply use your magnifying glass or jewelers eye to read it.

• 4

  Flip your pins and brooches over so you are looking at the back of the jewelry. Although they are bigger pieces of jewelry, pins and brooches can sometimes be difficult to read. The mark may be easy to see, at least see that something is there. However, it still takes a strong light and extra help to read it. On pins and brooches, look under the barrel on the back of the pin or brooch. Sometimes these are difficult to find and others are easy to find just not so easy to read. If you find one under the edge of the pin back, sometimes it requires an angled look to determine what it reads.

• 5

  Examining the hoop or post of an earring can help you find some more difficult markings. Here is an example of a more difficult find. Notice how it is located on the hoop of the earring and not the setting itself.

• 6

  Take a digital picture of your subject. Some images are easy to find and easy to read. If you can't see the image with your magnifying glass, try taking a digital picture of it up close and see if perhaps you can read it then. The light from the camera flash sometimes puts just enough light on them to shadow the lettering.