From approximately the earlier years of the 1770s separate parts of a vessel such as spouts or lids were stamped out using a drop-hammer. The piece of Sheffield plate would be placed upon a striking block which had a die sunk with a model of the required shape. Then the hammer, the face of which was raised with the same shape as the sunken die, was manipulated from above by a rope between two vertical rods and, as it struck the block, the Sheffield plate was stamped into shape. The parts would then be soldered to the vessel. The introduction of harder steels made possible more sharply-defined pieces and during the Regency period entire units were produced in this manner. Die-stamping was a very important technique, advances in it contributing greatly to mass-production methods in both silver and Sheffield plate. By the last decade of the eighteenth century larger, flat pieces such as trays were being produced in this manner, suitably ornamented as already described. (more…)

Registration of marks for plated goods virtually ceased after 1836 because the new British plate could not correctly be termed Sheffield plate as silver was not fused onto copper. Yet again manufacturers resorted to marking their wares with unregistered symbols which looked very much like hallmarks. After 1765, and more so following the turn of the nineteenth century, a crown was sometimes used in addition to other marks. This was originally intended to show that the piece was of good quality, and its use grew at the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 to differentiate between English plate and cheap wares imported from France. Manufacturers used it increasingly throughout the nineteenth century until the public were in such a state of confusion, since it was also the mark for the Sheffield Assay Office, that its use was eventually prohibited in 1896. (more…)

A knife and fork may seem the perfect combination by modern standards, but before forks came into general use the knife and the spoon were the two vital, complementary utensils which served the needs at table. While eighteenth century examples of knives with handles of cast silver are available at a very high cost, the expense involved in making these in the heavier-gauge silver means that most eighteenth century examples available today are of the thinner silver produced at the end of the century.

Forks were used increasingly in England after the Restoration. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has a two-pronged fork made in 1632, one of the oldest silver table forks, but this is a very rare example. (more…)

A few years after the turn of the eighteenth century the spoon eventually developed into the utensil which we use today. By 1720 its stem had become gracefully curved and terminated in a flat, rounded end which turned forward or upward and upon which it was rested on the table, so that the back of the bowl was uppermost in the French way. This Hanoverian rat-tail spoon continued in fashion for a few more years, the rat-tail gradually disappearing to be replaced by small droplets, either one or two, at the back of the bowl, or the increasingly fashionable scallop-shell, typical of the rococo period. The stem evolved into a flatter form, terminating by the 1760s in a curve which turned in the opposite direction to its predecessor, ie backward instead of forward, so that the spoon could be placed on the table with the interior of its bowl showing,as is still the custom in England and elsewhere today. This is termed the `Old English’ pattern and has been the basic form for spoons ever since. (more…)

Comparatively few teapots were made in England before the eighteenth century and these are now exceedingly rare. As the fashion for drinking tea spread, the demand for the right kind of vessel in which to brew it brought about new types of containers for sugar, milk and tea. These tea accoutrements were made increasingly throughout the eighteenth century until, by the final decades, they had become an important branch of the silversmith’s work. Late seventeenth century teapots are unique and are mostly seen in museums. Outstanding among them is the historical conical-topped teapot (1670) in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, with the spout quaintly set at right-angles to the handle, a practice which was short-lived. Another shape of this early period looks like a melon or similar fruit. (more…)

Unlike the mote skimmer, which has no use today but which is of interest because of its curiosity value, sugar tongs not only reflect contemporary decorative styles but can be of use at the tea table today. While prices of certain tongs have increased a good deal over recent years, nineteenth century examples may still be bought for reasonable sums. The shape of early sugar nippers was derived from contemporary fire tongs, and they commonly have baluster stems, and circular or shell-shaped grips. Some grips had rat-tail terminals at the back for strengthening, the stems sometimes being decorated with an acorn or some other decorative shape at their centre point. (more…)

Caddy spoons have long been avidly collected, and certainly the numerous styles and designs in which they were made vary enough to suit most tastes. They were produced in large numbers from approximately the last decade or so of the eighteenth century. Early tea canisters which had round, domed caps did not need a caddy spoon since, as has been mentioned, the cap was often used to measure the tea into the pot. When these small caps were superseded by larger lids, some sort of small ladle or spoon was required for the job. Gradually a small spoon with a short stem evolved and was kept in the canister with the tea. The bowl of the spoon was commonly in the shape of a shell, originating possibly from the fact that large sea-shells intended for use as ladles had often been packed in tea-chests by the Chinese. The caddy spoon as we know it did not appear in any great quantity before approximately 1790, but by the end of the century thousands were being produced in Birmingham, where silversmiths specialised in small objects. This trend continued for the following 50 years or more. (more…)

Tea was a precious commodity because of its high cost, and the very small size of early canisters reflected this when they were introduced during the final years of the seventeenth century. It is thought that the shape of the early silver tea canister imitated the shape of the Oriental stoppered jars of porcelain then being imported, because they looked rather like metal jars with a flat, rectangular base, and undecorated straight sides which curved in at the shoulders to a circular neck fitted with a slip-on, rounded cap. A late seventeenth century example might be only three inches high, but by Queen Anne’s reign they were generally taller. (more…)

For many years tea was commonly drunk clear in the Chinese fashion and because of this and other reasons it is difficult to find a jug made earlier than the first few years of the eighteenth century. Early examples are in the pyriform shape, with a scrolled handle, sometimes positioned at a right-angle to the lip or spout. Diminutive cream jugs, standing no more than three inches high, were generally left undecorated, though others might have two rows of moulding at their waist. Both were made of a thick gauge metal and were weighty, despite their small size. In time the jug became more general, hammered up from the flat, with the cast spout and handle now opposite each other, standing upon a spreading moulded foot, and still with attractive scroll handles. (more…)

Early pierced baskets were heavy, magnificent pieces but these are rare. Eighteenth century examples were oval, rectangular or circular with a flat base and ornately-pierced sides, often featuring two small cabled silver handles which were later superseded by the swing type. Huguenot silversmiths were much acclaimed for their fine pierced and embossed baskets, and superb examples of their work, which clearly show why they were so admired, can be seen in various stately homes and museums.

However, some of their achievement must also be attributed to the English invention of the rolling-mill which had been improved by 1728, allowing the production of a fine gauge silver for more complicated piercing. (more…)