The Collectors
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Episode 41, Friday 21 November 2008
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Gordon Brown takes us into the fabulous world of Fabergé and many other makers of Russian silver. Copious amounts of Russian treasures came onto the market in Australia in the 1960s, and Gordon has always been curious as to why.
It turns out that following the Russian Revolution, the nobility who fled Russia for America and Australia could not find enough marriage partners of equal social standing, and 40 years after the Revolution they started to die out. Hence the flooding of the market.
Hallmarking of Russian silver was introduced in the 17th century, but most Russian silver found in Australia is from the 19th and 20th centuries. The double-headed eagle is a symbol of the Empire and was used by retailers who supplied the Tsar, or Emperor of Russia.
The purity of Russian silver is measured in zolotnicks - derived from zoloto meaning gold. Pure silver is 96 zolotnicks.
Gordon shows us not just the riches but also how to spot the inevitable fakes, which so often turn up on the web. Buyers beware!
