Gerald Benney Sterling Silver Tea and Coffee Service
An important sterling silver six piece tea and coffee service by Gerald Benney, London 1964, of tapering curved cylindrical form with bark textured surface lifted from a polished band, the hinged covers with emanating textured flat covers, impressed hallmarks and retailed by Hardy Brothers Australian marks, tallest 9.65 in., 3484 grams in total, Adrian Gerald Sallis Benney CBE RDI (1930 - 2008) was one of the most prolific and influential British goldsmiths of the 20th century. During an illustrious career spanning more than 50 years, he was the first British craftsman to hold four Royal Warrants simultaneously. His work can be seen in many collections worldwide, including those of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Goldsmiths' Company.
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- Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
- silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
- the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
- the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
- a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings. - Important - Important is a word used in the antique trade to indicate an object should be ranked above other similar objects, and is therefore more valuable.
The object could be considered important because it is by a famous designer or maker, has been shown at a major exhibition, is of exquisite workmanship, is rare or is a "one-off", was made for an important patron, and so on.
Even further up the pecking order are objects that are described in catalogue descriptions as highly important or extraordinarily important. - Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
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