Maker’s Mark and Responsibility Mark
What is a maker’s mark?
A maker’s mark may connect a precious-metal object with a goldsmith, silversmith or workshop. It can consist of initials, a name, a figure or another symbol. Historical catalogues often use “maker’s mark” for marks attributed to an individual craftsman or firm.
Maker’s mark and legal responsibility mark
These terms are related but are not always interchangeable. Under current Norwegian law, a responsibility mark identifies the person or business responsible for the fineness stated on the item; that legal role does not necessarily mean that the same party physically made it. See section 5 of Norway’s Precious Metals Act.
It is not a fineness or control mark
A maker’s or responsibility mark does not itself state how much gold or silver an object contains. Read it with a fineness mark such as 830S, 925S, 585 or 750. A control mark has a different function.
How to examine the mark
Photograph the complete mark sequence clearly and straight on. Note the shape of the surrounding cartouche, lettering, punctuation and position. Similar initials can belong to different people or firms. Compare the mark with any town mark or date mark, and check whether the proposed attribution fits the documented period of operation and the object’s construction.
Do not assign initials to a famous maker only because they appear to match. A worn or incomplete mark may be ambiguous. Describe uncertain attributions as possibilities, not established facts.
Sources and further reading
- Norway’s Precious Metals Act, section 5 – the legal function of a Norwegian responsibility mark.
- Store norske leksikon: gold and silver marks – background on Norwegian precious-metal marks.
