My Hallmark
How important do you think it is to the collectors of our work, our clients, to know that they are buying an authentic piece of art? The real deal, no fakes, no imitations, but an original art work created by the artist.
I believe it’s very important to them. I know it is to me and I’ve witnessed it in others. Last year I knew a woman who had purchased a Michael Boyd ring at the silent auction at the Colorado Metalsmiths Conference. It was the real thing….Michael was there, he donated several of his works, yet this ring didn’t have Michael’s Hallmark stamp. It was very important to her that the ring have his Hallmark to confirm its authenticity and she asked Michael to mark the ring….to my knowledge he did and she’s one happy woman because she has added a Michael Boyd ring to her collection. It’s authenticated by the Hallmark stamp, placed on the ring by Michael himself.
Last year I decided it was time to mark my works with my Hallmark, also known as the Maker’s Mark. It is a way that jewelry artists use to show the authenticity of their work, that is, it is proof that we made the piece. I had reached a point where I wanted to insure that anyone, who bought one of my pieces, would know by way of this mark that it was something that I made.
Painter’s sign their works. Some glass artists sign their works by etching the glass, using a gold ink that can be fused on their fused works, or even using a paint that can be ‘baked’ to permanently to a piece of the glass that will comprise their work. Sculptures have a mark. The point is, artists have been using their ‘mark’ for centuries to show it is their work.
It’s a wonderful affirmation.
Initially I had been using the ‘K’ from a set of metal stamps, but that wasn’t truly distinctive in my mind. As I continued with my work, I revised my logo and eventually came up with my current logo that you see pictured at the top of this post. Once I had that, I knew I wanted to have that as my mark to show my clients that they were buying an original Kathleen Krucoff piece.
This is how my Hallmark looks when stamped into the metal. It’s a little hard to refute the Maker’s Mark.
I ordered mine from Microstamp. They had the best price for custom stamps that I found. All the instructions can be found on their website and I found them to be very responsive to inquiries. They want to be sure you have a stamp that meets your specifications.
It is a very finely crafted stamp and I am very happy with it. I have just registered my Hallmark with Art Guide Source as it is a service that aids in finding artists / metalsmiths when all a viewer has is the hallmark. Seems like a good idea.
I’m curious. How many of you sign your works? If you are a metalwork artist, do you have a custom made stamp to make your mark? For any of you, did your ‘mark’ go through an evolution until you came upon the one that was your true signature for your work?
Since I started using this hallmark a little over a year ago, it has given me a certain peace of mind. I felt I was taking that extra step for my customers to show them that not only do I care about the craftsmanship in each of my pieces, but I care enough to personalize the piece and assure them of its authenticity. What are your thoughts on this?
Until next time, aspire to be more as an artist and a person.
9 comments
August 19, 2011 at 7:36 am
Sue
LOVE your mark ! Very creative and I agree on the importance of marking your work. If I buy a piece of art of course I want it marked !
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August 19, 2011 at 8:43 am
Kathleen Krucoff
Thanks Sue!
I’m glad you like my mark! 🙂 I’m sure you sign your works and I’m with you, I want the artist’s signature on the original artwork. Very important.
Have a great weekend.
Kathleen
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August 19, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Riv
I’d love to have a maker’s mark! But right now I haven’t settled on a design. I’ve stamped some pieces with a “PS” (for purpleshiny), and I like the way it stands for my brand while also looking a bit like the footnote to a personal letter. So I’m probably going to base it on that idea. It’s kind of like designing a tattoo, coming up with something that can stay with my work for the long haul!
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August 19, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Kathleen Krucoff
Totally agree with you Riv…you definitely want something for the long haul. I like your analogy.
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August 23, 2011 at 1:38 pm
erinmgiles
Thank you so much for this post! I create spoon necklaces and have been searching for a way to brand the back of them. Not sure if they would be ruined after I brand them, but its worth a try:) And if you have any thoughts I would love your expertise! Thanks again!
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August 23, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Kathleen Krucoff
Hi Erin,
Glad you liked this post. An alternative, since you create necklaces, is to use small metal tags and stamp your hallmark on those. Then attach the metal tag to the back of the necklace where the clasp is. Microstamp offers this alternative solution too. Explore their website for more details.
If the metal tag isn’t a viable solution, I think you could test your brand stamp on some scraps first to get a feel for it before you actually used it on your work.
Hope this helps.
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November 28, 2011 at 8:58 am
lasagna
Hi
your mark is very pretty. I designed my mark and I have it ready
to go but I don’t know what size to have it made. If you don’t
mind me asking, what size did you have yours made? Can you
you stamp tags as well as elements with it or is it too large to
stamp on tags. I really don’t want to get it too large or too small.
I would really appreciate your input since you have been through
the process and you are happy with your stamp.
Lasana
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November 28, 2011 at 9:11 am
Kathleen Krucoff
Hi Lasana,
I think mine was sized around 3/8″ tall as I didn’t want it to be too large. I don’t know if it will work with tags as I don’t use those and it wasn’t my plan.
The customer service staff at Microstamp are very helpful with getting things sized correctly, so please don’t hesitate to email them with your image file of the hallmark you designed. They can answer specifics about what size will work best with the tags they have. I think they have a frequently asked question page related to custom stamps to work with the tags they have
One thing I did, once I had mine the size I thought was right for me, was I printed it off to see the actual size. That helped me a bunch to keep sizing it smaller until I liked the size. I wanted it to be clear to read, but not over power the actual work.
Hope this helps.
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November 28, 2011 at 10:27 am
M.Summers
Thank You sp much!!!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to send a reply. The lead you gave will help me move forward and make solid decisions to complete the process to purchase my hallmark. I recently got my metalsmithing kit and tools. I still have
several smaller orders of incidentals,and a rolling mill to get. And
I want to add some books and DvD’s to my library then I can really concentrate on designing. I really like your new designs, they are beautiful as all of your work that I have seen. So creative and
origional, I find your work inspiring. There is a technique I keep
seeing called wired Chinese knot, that I find facinating and beautiful
I am going to learn it and try somehow to incorporate it into some
designs. Well thanks so much for your help. Tried to answer sooner, but my post got deleted and I had to start all over! Take
care.
M.S.
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