Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-17
ly forty years later, she never seemed
to have moments regret TOT ner
choice of a MISUNDERSTANDING.
THE AALLMARks ON JEwELRy.
Means Degree of Alloy, Not Purity
The Standard Of Gold.

Everyone who has bought goio Ilns
or a silver chain knows what the nall
marks are like. but few have ciear ldea
as to whence they came and what tney
mean. Many people imagine that ster-
ling" or standard" article Is maoe OF
pure gold or silver. but as mat.er o.
fact. 1t is necessary to mix Win tne piss
ious metal a norton Of harder metaa pc
fore it can be worked into arucies OF
commerce. This fact would open /, the
way to very easy and profltaipIe arauds y
the law did not make speclal PROVISION
for the protection Of the purchaser of gold
or silver plate, The first statue LOT TINS
purpose was enacted more tnan oVo years
ago. and the main principles then iala
down are adopted in most OF tne mouern
assay acts, viz, that all gold and silver
goods shall be equal to certain, standards,
and shall not be offered for sale until as
sayed and marked by the wardens of the
craft. An Important act was passed in
the reign of Richard H.. ana as OLD law
makers were not so verbose as their sue
cessors, it may be quoted vernailm IN
few lines: Because gold and silver,
which is wrought by goldsmiths IN Eng
land, is oftentimes less fine than 1T ought
to be because the goldsmiths are their
own judges be it ordained, that hencefortn
every goldsmith puts his own mark upon
his work, and the assay of the touch be-
longs to the mayors and governors of the
cities and boroughs, with the aid of the
ting the mark of the city or borough
where the assay is" The duty here as
signed to the mayors and governors has
devolved upon the goidsmith's companies,
and they have delegated it to the officials
of the assay offices, OF which there are
now four in England, two in Scotland and
one in Ireland
OF these institutions, Birmingham has
by far the largest in spite of what some
may say as to it's ancient constitution,
the Birmingham Assay Office leads the
way in improving the process of assay.
The establishment of an assay Office in
Birmingham was largely due to the eff
forts of Matthew Boulton Cthe versatile
partner of James Waltz, who was one of
the chief promoters OF the Act Of 1773.
representatives of the trade. the rest be-
ing public men of such varied types as
Lord Norton and the, Right Hon. Joseph
Chamberlain. They are appointed for life
and elect the wardens. of whom there
are at present five.
There are two alternative methods for
trying silver and two consecutive opera
lions for testing gold. In olden times
both metals were assayed by simply
rubbing the plate with a piece of hard,
black and smooth stone and Wetting the
touched places with the tongue, so as to
bring to light the various tints which
distinguished one quality of the precious
metal from another. This rough and
ready method is still used for certain
purposes, but the touchstone leaves too
much to the judgment of the operator
to fill the requirements of the assay office.
The process at present recognized by law
is known as ''lne dry way, 10 distinguish
it from 1.-The wet way" So far as it goes,
the dry method is used for both silver and
gold. The lead colored pill of precious
metal is placed in a small cupel Of
calcined bone, and heated over gas fire
in an air furnace of an improved pattern
designed by Mr.. Arthur Westwood.
When all the silver has been dissolved the
pure gold left in the platinum cupel is SO
brittle that it has to be annealed before
it can be weighed to tell how much silver
has been extracted from it. By compar-
ing the weight of the pure gold with the
original five grains you get the proper
ton of gold alloy in the manufactured
article.
The new process is much quicker and
surer than the cupellation which has
been explained, and it is gradually super
seding that method. A certain weight of.
the silver to be assayed is dissolved in
nitric acid by heat and solutions of iron
and salt are added by means of finely
graduated pipettes. Common salt can be
used, but sulphocyanide is more effective
1t is known that certain quantity of
salt solution will precipitate a certain
quantity of silver before acting on the
iron. Consequently, if the liquid is not
discolored by the iron, 1t is evident that
the glass vessel contains the standard
quantity Cor more) of silver. Thus the as
sayer has only to compare the sample in
question with one prepared from standard
silver, and he can see at a glance
whether it is above or below the stand
ard. By adding measured quantities of
salt or silver solution he can tell how
much above or below standard the ware
iS.-Birmingham Post