Page 35 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

the prevailing law], a hallmark could be applied. In the case of items from Wang Hing, in
principle they were not the actual maker and at the time Wang Hing was supplying Edward
& Sons, it is highly doubtful there was an understanding that the Chinese character mark
was the artisan silversmith’s mark. It was known, however, that China and Hong Kong had
no formal assay system and it would have been equally doubtful that the London assay
office would have asserted to mark such silver.

Glasgow was historically the main port where tea from China was landed and was also the
port where much of the opium was landed. Silver wares were always shipped as a ballast
cargo; it was never the main cargo a ship would have carried. Scottish merchants were by
far in the majority among all the merchant traders involved in the China Trade, which begs
the question whether the Glasgow assay office had a more laissez-faire attitude towards
silver coming into Glasgow from China specifically for Edward & Sons. It also begs the
question why and how Wang Hing increased the silver purity mark for Edward-bound
items. While these questions remain open-ended, it is planned to conduct a XRF analysis
of Edward & Sons/Wang Hing items in the near future.**

In the absence of any conformity of Chinese Export Silver marks, It is interesting to note
that the most confusing period of marking relates to silver made between 1785 and 1840
when by far the most prevalent marks were so-called ‘pseudo-hallmarks’. The vast
majority of this silver was created in the neo-classical style and from a silver-making
perspective this is often silver comparable in quality to the work of the finest English and
European silversmiths of the day. No silver thus marked carried any indicator of silver
purity - it is not until after 1840 that
purity marks began to appear, such
marks never being obligatory and
always at the random whim of
either the maker or the retail
silversmith.

While these marks are mere
pastiches of the “real thing” [i.e. a
London hallmark], they give a
fascinating clue to the complex
global reality that was their raison
d’être.

Between the years 1810-1820,
there was a serious decline in
output from the South American
silver mines that resulted in a drop
of over 50% in the mined silver; the
cause was the civil chaos that
resulted from the strive for
independence in Mexico. This not only reduced the amount of silver available for China to
acquire but it had serious implications on established trades other nations had with China,
for example the tea and silk trade that Britain generated. Britain also had far less silver
available to fulfil its own manufacturing needs as a result. Less silver in Britain launched
the manufacturing costs and retail prices of English and Scottish silversmiths on a steep
upward curve. Despite the fall in new silver available to it, China had far more silver bullion
available due to centuries of stockpiling than Britain or any other country on earth. Chinese