Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2015-11-29

The Story Behind this Blog

Being from the South, Silver is a very big part of my life. It doesn't have anything to do with wealth. Although those with more money - old money, tend to have more of it. New money tend not to spend their money on Silver. They do not have the appreciation for the warmth of the metal, the beauty of the patina, the story it tells of the generations past who have used it. A true southern girl comes of age when she chooses her silver pattern, long before she chooses her mate. If she is smart, she chooses that of her mother, grandmother, or favorite great aunt who in their benevolence will pass their silver on to her. It is the pieces in those sets, the pieces on our tables, along with the pieces we find in the corners of the displays in antique stores that prompted me to start this blog. They are beautiful, they are odd, but what are they, and what in the hell do you do with them?

Friday, December 4, 2015

Nellie Custis by Lunt

Lunt introduced Nellie Custis in 1915. My assumption is that the pattern was named for the youngest of Martha Washington's three granddaughters. Nellie's father was the son from Martha's first marriage. The pattern has a lovely design with all the adornment being in the lower half of the stem which gives the illusion of the design being in the middle of each piece. It makes for a quite elegant look.

George C. Lunt designed this pattern. He also designed John Hancock (1911) and Chatelaine (1896) for the Lunt Company.

Sugar Sifter (5 1/4 inches)