This is an article by Mark Keenan, from the Sunday Independent, 5th February 2012

CRAFTED Irish silver, which has a reputation for quality around the world, is being sold for scrap and melted down because owners aren’t aware of its antique value.

Ireland’s antique dealers have issued a plea to the public to ensure they have silver items properly checked out before selling them on to scrap dealers, following evidence that valuable Irish heritage pieces worth thousands are regularly being melted down in the rush to cash in on the highest silver bullion prices since the 1970s.

Silver has more than doubled its value in two years to levels not seen since Texas oil billionaire Bunker Hunt attempted to corner the world silver market in 1979.

However, because values have been moving down from a 2011 high of $49 per troy oz (today it’s at $33) there has been a rush to sell up. Silver is also one of the first items to be sold in hard times.

Dublin silverware expert Jimmy Weldon said: “We had one guy bring in a photograph of some flatware (cutlery) that he’d sold for scrap. They turned out to be Georgian and worth in the order of €3,000. Old spoons and tankards in particular should be checked because a Limerick spoon worth €40 or €50 for scrap could fetch €2,000 to €3,000 at auction,” said Mr Weldon.

“We were brought a tiny salt cellar to be appraised which would have had a scrap value of €60 but turned out to have been worth €3,000 as a collector’s piece. It was very plain and black and no more than an inch-and-a-half high but was in fact a very special and rare piece made in 1725.”

While bullion silver prices are on a high, demand abroad for antique Irish silverware as collectibles has also shot up. One Georgian beer tankard from Cork, which went for sale in the USA recently, sold for $31,000 (€23,500) after being guided at $3,000 (€2,300).

Items which dealers believe are being lost in auctions include heavy antique Irish trays, which attract the most attention because of their weight. Mr Weldon said unscrupulous scrap dealers were turning up at auctions all over the country bringing their own scales. “There’s a surprising amount of items out there still in attics, basements and drawers,” he said.

Joy Danker of Danker Antiques added: “Irish silverware is the finest and most sought after in the world because it is so rare — there is one piece of Irish for every five pieces of English — and because of the outstanding level of craftsmanship from those who produced it in Cork, Limerick, Kinsale and Galway. The fact that we’re losing any of it is shocking.”

President of the Irish Antique Dealers’ Association George Stacpoole added: “This problem occurs when bullion value begins to challenge antique value. We would urge the public never to sell anything made of sterling silver without first getting it properly appraised by a member of the Antique Dealers Association.”

- Mark Keenan

We recently got into stock this lovely ten stone diamond ring, set with multi-coloured diamonds. There are three cognac diamonds, two white diamonds, one light brown diamond, two yellow diamonds and two green diamonds. It is bright and lively, and very unusual!

Following on from a previous post about Sapphires, this post deals with the different colours of Blue that can be found in sapphires. In ancient times, it was believed that the sun’s rays caused the wonderful deep blue colours in a sapphire, and that the longer the stone was exposed to the sun, the deeper the blue!

Pure corundum is colourless, however trace amounts of iron and titanium give rise to the most wonderful blue hues. The amount of these trace elements can give rise to different hues and shades of blue. The most highly prized sapphires and velvety deep blues, with as strong saturation as possible, without darkening the stone. At the far end of the value scale are sapphires with either very dark or very light tones.

While the colour can vary with the origin of the sapphire, it is not right to say that every sapphire of a particular colour is from the same mine, as similar shades of blue can be seen from many places. However, in general, some mines are known for the intense, rich blues that they produce. The most famous mine, in Kashmir, produces sapphires with a wonderful velvety blue that has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Top grade Kashmir sapphires are among the most expensive gemstones of all.

An example of a superb colour would be this sapphire, a 2.4 carat Burmese sapphire

Sometimes the preferred colour is a matter of taste. In the 1920s in France, the fashion held that dark colours were the most desirable. A darker sapphire would be this colour, from the 1920s.

The rest of the photos below give an idea of the range of colours that sapphires can come in.

This is one of a pair of magnificent sauceboats, by John Moore, Dublin circa 1752. they are heavy and solid, with beautiful chasing.

Snuff is a powder made from pulverised tobacco leaves. It originated in the Americas, and was in widespread use in Europe in the 17th century. Generally it is sniffed direct from the fingers.

Snuff was always particularly popular in court circles. Queen Anne so enjoyed snuff that all her ladies took up the habit. Queen Charlotte was known as ‘snuffy Charlotte’ because of her passion for it. In the 18th century there were over 400 snuff mills in London alone.

Until the 1900s, the volume of snuff produced was immense. Everyone took it – Alexander Pope, Charles Darwin, even the Duke of Wellington. Lord Nelson took large quantities to sea with him; Napoleon used over seven pounds of snuff a month. In the 20th century it lost popularity, though with smoking bans common in many countries, snuff is once again becoming popular.

As prolonged exposure to air causes the snuff to dry out, special boxes were made to hold the snuff. When snuff taking was fashionable, the boxes used to hold the snuff became more and more elaborate, to the point where they were fashion accessories in their own right. Initially plain, over time they were decorated and bejewelled; many silver and gold examples exist, some with enamelling and set with precious stones. Fine old examples can fetch eye-watering prices; an 18th century German box fetched 1.3 million dollars in an auction in 2003.

Above is an Irish silver snuff box, circa 1780, made by James Kennedy. It is oval in shape, with the initials of the owner on the lid. It is about two and three quarter inches in length.
In the next picture, you can see that it was gold-gilded on the inside, to help preserve the snuff. Even after 230 years, the box is still airtight, a testament to the skill of the box maker.
Kings and governments often used a decorative snuff box as a give to diplomats or dignitaries; in Ireland, when the Freedom of a city was being given, a commemorative snuff box was often awarded to the recipient.

The next example is a very early snuff box, with mother-of-pearl lid and base; there is a cameo of a lady with a basket, beautifully detailed. from her dress, it would seem to date from the 1730s.

As mentioned earlier, some examples were very elaborate; the next box is intricately chased, and inset with an oval section of hardstone; this box is heavy, and could well have been used on a table as a communal box, or “mull”. On the inside is a family motto.

The next example is very interesting – it is a hunting snuff box. It was made in a very slim shape, and with a loop, with which the owner would have attached it to his hunting belt. On the lid is an engraving of a gentleman on a horse. As was normal at the time, he is riding with the stirrips very long. The engraving is very detailed – you can made out his top-hat, high collar and even his sideburns!

The final example is a very rare piece- it is a box given with the Freedom of the city of Cork in 1825. On one side is the coat of arms of Cork, with its motto “Statio Bene Fida Carinis”. The one reverse is an inscription commorating the award of the Freedom, to Admiral Robert Plampin, who was the gaoler of Napoleon while he was on Saint Helena

.

This is a recent arrival, a superb and early coconut cup, circa 1710 by Henry Sherwin.

Click and drag to rotate the cup.

And one of the rarest pieces in the shop, an early Galway mug by Thomas Lynch, circa 1735.

After a busy Christmas, it’s time to start posting again!

Lots of new engagement rings have been put on the website, and also on our Facebook page. Please have a quick look, and don’t forget to “Like” us!!!

Weldons Facebook page

Things have been quiet of the blog lately, as we are busy working on our new website! We hope to launch in early January, with lots more useful features and plenty of bells and whistles

Malachite is a gorgeous green banded stone, with colours of the bands ranging from light green to a very dark green. It is very easily recognised, and has a distinctive, attractive look. Its name comes from old Greek, meaning “mallow-coloured stone”, after the Mallow plant. It has been called the “mirror of the soul”, and is widely used for its healing powers.

Historically, it has long been considered a stone of protection for children; if a piece was attached to a child’s crib, then evil spirits would be held at bay and the child would sleep soundly.

Strangely enough, malachite is also believed is protect the wearer from falls, and would warn of impending disaster by breaking into pieces.

It is the anniversary stone for the 13th wedding anniversary.

We have added a new category to our website for the month of December, called “A Christmas Jewel”, featuring gift ideas and a selection of lovely jewellery, ideal for Christmas. You can view the items here: Diamond Jewellery.

A wider selection, with lots of items which are not on our website, can be viewed in store, from Monday to Saturday, 10am until 5.30pm.