Marta Im not sure wether this will help or not, but maybe the mark means the item is foreign made. All the imported articles in france for instance, had an obligatory "tax mark" - etrange (foreign make), and were hallmarked with letters ET.
Marie
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Higa Amulet by: Sharon
Hi Marta I'm not sure about the gold markings but I do know that hand amulets have always been popular especially in Spanish jewelry, particularly in the 16th-18th centuries.
The hand amulet is believed to protect against the evil eye. This type of charm against the evil eye has its roots in Ancient Egyptian Jewelry. Arabic people all over the middle-east still use amulets to protect against the "evil eye" today in our modern times. The Evil-eye is when someone looks at you in an evil or jealous way. Many people believe this can cause you bad luck and the hand amuletic charm will protect the wearer.
Sometimes the mount of the hand amulet, that's forms part of the cuff of the sleeve, is frilled or bejeweled. The cuff of the hand amulet is not always plain gold. When the hand is clenched with the thumb protruding between the index and the third fingers like your coral pendant, this hand position is known as 'Mao in Fica' and the amulet is called in Spain a Higa.
