What is Siam Sterling?

 This website explains it really well. https://salamanderalley.com/blogs/under-the-leaves/what-is-siam-sterling-jewelry

Read the article here: 

WHAT IS IT

Siam sterling jewelry is sterling silver jewelry made in Thailand and depicts the characters of mythology and from the Ramakien (the Thailand national story) as well as the story of Mekhala and Ramasoon. It was manufactured with two different combinations - Sterling / Niello and Sterling / Enamel. For our purposes here, I will be focusing on Niello.

WHAT IS NIELLO

It is the black part of the Siam Sterling jewelry and can be confused with Damascene. Niello is made from silver, copper, sulphur, lead and ammonium chloride. It is applied while Damascene is not.

Damascene is the art of inlaying one metal into another with the black base usually being a black oxidized steel.

WHEN WAS SIAM STERLING JEWELRY MADE

It was made from approximately 1926 until 1989.  I know, not what a lot of people think when they see the word 'Siam', falsely thinking that this name dates the piece.

What differentiates the pieces is by how they are marked.  Here is a general guideline for marks:

No markings - 1926 - 1935
Sterling - 1926 - 1946
Siam Silver - late 1940s
Handmade in Siam - Early 1950s
Made in Siam - 1940s
Siam Sterling - Early 1950s - mid 1960s
Sterling Thailand - 1965 to present

The bulk of the jewelry made has been made since 1965. 

IS IT ALL HAND ENGRAVED

No.  Some is hand engraved while some is stamped and in a few VERY rare cases, it was cast. Often it is a mixture of stamped sterling and finishing touches are hand done.  

Take a 10x loupe and view the indentations of the design inside the Niello area. If it is hand carved the deepest part of the line will be sharp, not rounded.  Check more than one line.

Often the piece is stamped and then the open work edge is finished off (enhanced) by hand. The most common pieces are stamped.

WHAT'S IT WORTH

That is a loaded question and it depends on what you have.  If you have one of the small lightweight link bracelets marked Siam Sterling...not much.  If you have a small narrow bracelet marked Sena...then you have something.

Obviously all the jewelry has worth dependent upon the price of silver.  What adds worth above and beyond the silver is the design, the workmanship, the rarity, and how it is marked. 

These are my favorite makers and I'm willing to pay more for these names...

Thai Nakon
Margrett
Sena
Alex & Co
Yap Kui Kee
Ratanabha
Amfarco

One more comment on worth - that is suites (sets).  These are rare and expect to pay well for them.  Most of the jewelry made was made to be sold as individual pieces.