Antique shop pick, heavily vaulted, cased ek1 .800 silver...

[Jesse]

Absolutely, and in the hand it will look different, so I could be wrong, I often am!

Best,

Jesse

[DALE ELLIS]

It looks to me from the photo to have been spray painted. That's why there are no brush strokes but it does seem to have some "orange peel" rippling in the paint.

[Milton]

Hi Dale, and Jesse, thanks for the further feedback. After thorough scrutiny with my best loupe, in bright, natural light, I can assure you both that there's in fact, NO paint on the frame. The areas in question in the pix are actually just the result of a bit of waviness in the "ribbed" section of silver, just adjacent to the iron core, giving it the impression of being over-painted, plus a few spots of patina. My lousy camera certainly doesn't help give an accurate representation, but in hand, I've got really no doubt that this is the original surface, just gloss paint having been used as opposed to matte, which I'm learning, although uncommonly encountered, is not unheard of. In hand, the paint is gloss, smooth, w/ age crazing and surface oxidation (light rust), atop the crown and a few specks on the date, corresponding w/ stains in the lid's lining. No brush marks, "orange peel", etc, indicative of an over-paint. An unusual paint to be sure, and at first glance, I was skeptical too, but after a lot of scrutiny in hand and under magnification, I'm about as sure as I can be, that it's period and legit The fact that it's been cased all these years, no doubt helped preserve the gloss appearance, crazing and light oxidation from age not withstanding. Thanks again for your feedback!

[stevenn]

Antique shop pick

I was a restoration tech for a museum and learned techniques for preservation and for restoration, although, preservation is the real goal. Off and on over the last too many years, I have done some preservation on pieces of my collection; however, lately I have been experimenting with artificial aging techniques on fakes.
The item looks fine, as far as I can tell from the photos. In no way am I implying that the cross is a fake, but the reasons presented by those saying it is real (no brush marks, legitimate chips, etc.) are all easy to recreate deteriorations. It's not rocket science, but if you know it's suppose to look , have appropriate tools/skills, and some idea of what chemical processes nature uses to age things, you too can start enhancing fakes. You can also create fakes by mixing and matching original parts with fake parts. By experimenting, I have learned what some of the subtler things are which mark it as fake. On somewhat of a digression, there times when we actually had to age original items in the museum because people thought they were fakes because of their mint condition. You are probably aware of the tales of witnessing antique dealers using chains and hammers on fake antique furniture to age it..... Well, been there done that.
One other point, EKs are lacquered and lacquer is a covering which dries without showing brush strokes if done correctly. It is amazing what can be done with careful liquid masking techniques and an airbrush.

[Rich G]

I think the cross is fine, there was a lot of variation and Deumer EK1's from the 30s has glossy cores. Would like to see a straight on shot of the back to see the shape of the pin/hinge, etc.

Rich

[Milton]

Thanks for the additional feedback gents. Steve, I can appreciate your experience w/ restorations, etc, however I’ve no reason to believe that there’s anything spurious about this cross. My observations regarding the core’s finish, are simply indicative of what’s physically there, and that it’s consummate with what you might expect to see on a piece in this configuration, that’s basically 100 years old. Another point of consideration, is that IF one were to endeavor to “artificially age” such a piece, logic would dictate that one would go with a finish that would be much more the norm, i.e. “acceptable” to the community, (matte finish), as opposed to something unusual, (gloss finish), which would serve to raise eyebrows (as it did mine), at first glance. I agree absolutely however, that many fakes are artificially aged by unscrupulous individuals, and that some can be very convincing. I’ve always found, though, that items with legitimate age, have characteristics all their own. Rich, I would be happy to post another shot of the reverse at my next opportunity. Thanks again for the additional commentary!

[stevenn]

Antique shop pick

I must learn to keep the saying, "to make a long story short" straight in my head; it seems to become, "to make a short story long" when I get a hold of it.
Firstly, I agree, the cross looks fine and I do like that finish. Somewhere I have a rather beaten up EK 2 with the same finish , a well done lacquer job. Like yours, it almost looks like enamel (not the paint type of enamel) which is a nice change from the matt finish. I suspect there were a lot more with the shiny finish, but lacquer can be a rather fussy and I don't imagine being exposed to the elements and combat did it any favours .
Basically, (the actual short story) in my last posting I was trying give a warning that a person must look at all of the details and not get sidetracked by the unusual. The results can be in your favour as you may get a treasure because examining the total picture and using what you learned allows for an informed decision (or a well informed guess). Looking at the whole while bearing in mind that it is possible to convincingly fake anything will make you look again, and not impulse buy, helping you walk away with your cash intact. Also, I was trying to say when something is not correct for an object , and you really really want it, be careful of trying to justify buying it even though there is a huge doubt present. Another short story made long, sorry.

[Milton]

Hi again Steve, and no worries, your point is well taken. Thanks again for your feedback!

[Milton]

...and lastly, for Rich, as requested, a straight-on shot of the reverse of the cross. Contoured, slightly "coke" bottle shaped pin, soldered "C" catch, hinge block, and marked "800" just above the catch...Silver frame is nicely toned.