Speaking of linking relevant info, I’ve been meaning to tag @TAH’s wonderful thread from 2019.
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Great thread @Ravenscry. So many people see these price codes on their jewelry and mistakenly think they are artist’s signatures. It’s been a while since I’ve read my copy of Blue Gem, White Metal and I had forgotten this information was in it; I will have to get it out again soon. Unfortunately, despite having done a bit more research than me on this subject, I think you’ve essentially come to the same conclusions I have:
- The letter codes written or etched on the back of jewelry are trader’s price codes
- There are a number of different codes and they are pretty much impossible to decipher
- The main information you can glean from them is that the item was probably in the inventory of a southwest trader at some point
Relevant to the discussion on the De Anza Motor Lodge, it was actually featured on an episode of Breaking Bad before it was razed to make way for condos. I’m fairly sure they chose to film here as a nod to its importance in local history. I think I shared this on the forum years ago but I’ll share again:
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I’m absolutely in agreement, OO. On top of there being multiple ciphers, in Blue Gem, White Metal, it’s mentioned that C.G. intentionally swapped letters and numbers, and/or added variations. That throws any chance of decoding a suspect piece of jewelry out the window, really.
As I previously mentioned, strictly speaking to work that could have been handled by one of C.G.’s posts, I think it’s important to think of these scratched codes as supportive evidence, as opposed to definitive, verifying elements. If the craftsmanship, wear, and stones look correct, and/or there is one of the few picto hallmarks associated with Wallace present, then there is a good chance it ran through one of his establishments. As @mmrogers pointed out, numerous shops and trading posts have utilized some sort of similar system, and it is in no way indicative.
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As far as the codes on the back, I think Jason has mentioned numerous times on here that what you said is what they are. I have them on a number of pieces.
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