CHINESE EXPORT SILVER
By the late 18th/early 19th centuries, the phenomenon we now know as Chinese Export Silver was well-entrenched. It happened simply because silver, as a material, was more plentiful in China than anywhere else and the art of silversmithing had been perfected to such a high level. It was also relatively cheap, compared to Western counterparts.
This capability was quick to be recognized; merchants and sea-captains began to bring western silver items as examples to be copied, while the demand for bespoke items also increased. It is because of this surge of requests to "copy" that we find a peculiarly Chinese Export Silver circumstance mainly in relation to silver created in the 1785/1840 period.
The phenomenon is often referred to as "pseudo-hallmarks" and most Chinese silversmiths adopted them. But, initially they did so unwittingly, since when they were asked to faithfully copy items brought from the West, many of them had British hallmarks - and so the silversmiths copied "faithfully" hallmarks and all! Yet, not fully understanding the significance of the information these marks imparted, a degree of artistic license was applied; date letters were replaced by a letter that might have been the first Latin letter of the silversmith's name, often using local transcribing. Nearly all silver created during this period was of Western form.
It is during the 1840/1880 period of Chinese Export Silver making we see a change in appearance of the silver produced and the marks makers used on them. Chinese motifs begin to appear on items. It is also during this period we see more silversmiths appearing. Makers' marks also changed in as much as some makers began to use marks that combined Latin initials of the maker along with a mark in Chinese characters or ideograms of the actual artisan silversmith that carried out the work under the roof of the master silversmith. This latter mark is known as the "chopmark". This indicates that makers probably ran workshops where several experienced silver makers operated until the master artisan silversmith,the man behind the Chinese chopmark, finished it.
The 1880/1940 manufacturing period of Chinese Export Silver is where we find a larger number of known silversmiths operating. As with the preceding periods, makers' marks are equally non-consistent in format.
In any case, keep in mind that name or initials in Latin characters are not the name of the actual maker. They will almost certainly identify the retail silversmith or, more correctly, the name under which he trades.
A - B -C - D - E - F
G - H - I - J - K
L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S
T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
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CHINESE EXPORT SILVER MAKER'S MARKS
A - B -C - D - E - F
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A
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unidentified
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ACAO
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unidentified - Canton
active c.1825-1850
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C
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unidentified - possibly Canton
active c.1800-1850
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CC
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Qi Chang(Mandarin), Kei Cheong (Cantonese), Shiong Kei or Shang Chi - Canton
 (Chinese name)
active 1800-1850 working both English and Chinese taste
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workshop/artisan marks
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CHEONGSHING
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Cheong Shing, 21 Nanking Road, Shanghai & Canton
active c.1880-1915
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CHICHEONG
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unidentified
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CHIENAM
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Chienam - place undocumented
active c.1850-1860
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C.J C.J.Co
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China Jewelry Company - Shanghai
active c.1875-1930
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CS
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Cumshing - Canton
active c.1775-c.1825 ?
(the mark with the king's head was probably abandoned under the reign of queen Victoria, 1838)
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workshop/artisan marks
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CU (conjoined) CUT
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Cutshing, 8 New China Street and Old China Street, Canton
active c.1825-1875. The CU conjoined mark was used 1825-1840, the CU 1850-1860 and the CUT 1840-1870
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CW
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Cumwo, Queens Road, Hong Kong
active c.1850-1900
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workshop/artisan mark
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CHINESE EXPORT SILVER MAKERS
A - B -C - D - E - F
G - H - I - J - K
L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S
T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
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