FAKE ART NOUVEAU ENAMEL JEWELLERY AND HOW TO SPOT IT

I have noticed that Ebay has a number of sellers who are knowingly selling reproduction art nouveau style enamelled jewellery as original. This will give some guidance on how to spot it.StylesGenerally, the items that most sellers are passing off as original seem to be necklaces with the occasional brooch or earrings. They are generally beautifully enamelled and always described as the enamel being in perfect condition despite heavy wear to the makers marks and hallmarks. They always seem to have their drops intact despite this heavy wear and often, although the drops may match perfectly in colour, they actually come from a different maker. I have seen some Fenton designed drops on Horner pieces and vice versa. Finally, if the slight hint of a makers mark is unavailable, then they are often laid on a book illustrating the design to add authenticity. Of course all this does is add authenticity to who designed it originally and not to the actual piece.QualityA lot of the reproductions are indistinuisable from the originals and often the enamelling is in fact better. This is why sellers think they can get away with it. The reverse of a piece may give some indication as to originality. Reproductions are cast which necessitates more grinding, cleaning and polishing, whilst often the original was stamped out which gives a cleaner finish at the back. With some of the really mass produced stuff that is only ever stamped sterling, it is really hard to tell the difference, but you do get a feel for it after a time. HallmarksMost but not all silver jewellery from this period is hallmarked. If the hallmark is on a raised edge then it may have got worn somewhat, but it should still look crisp in parts. If enlargements of the hallmarks look grainy within the hallmark, it is possibly a casting of the original piece. This is unusual though, because casting hallmarks is a very serious offence and most reputable casters won't do it. It is not an offence to cast makers marks though. If you see a Charles Horner piece with the CH makers mark but no hallmark or 'sterling silver' stamp then it's most likely a copy.The same goes for James Fenton, Murrle Bennett, and a number of Norwegian makers. Some sellers knowing they have a reproduction piece, will claim that the hallmarks and maker's marks have been 'rubbed' away, though the enamel is still, miraculously, in perfect condition! They are right. The hallmarks and makers marks were rubbed away, but from the mold of the original piece prior to casting. I'm going to add pictures of the backs of repro jewellery as I get them but I'll start with this one below which is an obvious copy ... no way can makers marks or hallmarks get rubbed from a hollow! The seller knew it was a reproduction, but sadly the buyer paid in excess of 200 for something that normally sells for 40ish.ETA: I have just been contacted by another ebay seller asking me to correct my guide. The above comments are in relation to the stamped CH maker's marks, not the intertwined CH marks which are cast into the silver. ALL stamped maker's marks should be accompanied by full hallmarks. There are some of the hand made wire brooches that have the CH stamp but not the hallmark, rather a 'sterling silver' stamp. My guess this is because the delicate nature of the piece would mean it is damaged by hallmarking, but this way it can be stamped with the CH before it is properly made up.Horner mostly used Chester to assay their jewellery. Work was also assayed in Sheffield and Birmingham, but as the curator at Bankfield has pointed out, there are at least 14 other manufacturers with 'CH' registered as maker's marks with the Birmingham assay office. Therefore the only way to ascertain if it is a genuine piece is to check in Lawson's book. Additionally there are of course contemporaneous copies of designs Horner used, but again these are often stamped and hallmarked. The scarab design has been made by at least three other makers, all from the turn of the 20th century.As a collector and having spoken to other collectors, I have never come across any quality Horner pieces from Birmingham or Sheffield, though the Lawson book does illustrate that they exist.The seller also suggested that you can tell reproductions just by looking at them. Three points: 1) on ebay, you cannot handle the product, only go by photographs. 2) items which have been professionally cast are almost impossible to tell from the original. You have to go by the hallmarks. 3) there are some truly brilliant enamellers out there creating reproduction pieces. These people are not in the same category as some sellers who are offering cheaply cast cold (ie plastic) 'enamelled' pieces.I know all this because as well as owning original Horner pieces, I also have a good few quality reproductions (well, the thought of losing a 300 necklace if I wear it out is just too much. I only wear the real thing on special occasions and if I don't have a copy). Hope that clears things up. Like I say, this guide is designed to prevent people being duped by unscrupulous sellers into paying high prices for reproductions, and is not intended to be an authoritative piece on Horner or anyone else. If in doubt look at some of the stuff that is sold under reproduction on ebay and see if any of it looks a bit like the 'Horner' or other Edwardian/art nouveau piece you are looking at.