Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2016-10-02

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, October 7, 2016

Cellini by Gorham

Cellini is a popular pattern name in sterling silver flatware. By my count there are at least seven patterns with the name. Of course it would make sense to name a design in honor of the great 16th century Italian goldsmith, sculptor, draftsman, soldier, musician, and artist Benvenuto Cellini, who was also known for his poetry.

That said, Gorham's Cellini pattern dates back to 1915. It has straight clean lines.

Fish Fork (6 inches)

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Trousseau by International

A unique clean art deco pattern, International's Trousseau was designed in 1934
by Alfred G. Kintz. He also designed International patterns Empress (1932) and Wedgewood (1924) and co-designed Springtime (1935).

Cold Meat Serving Fork (9 inches)

Pie Server (10 inches)

Round (Gumbo) Soup Spoon (7 1/4 inches)

Monday, October 3, 2016

Kings I by Gorham

It is said that the devil is in the details. And often those details are very subtle. In preparing to post on Kings I by Gorham, I had to revisit earlier posts on Kings II by Gorham and Kings III by Gorham/Caldwell . In fact the subtlety can get down right confusing. Let's review.

Kings II by Gorham (1885)

Kings III by Gorham (1885)

And, then the pattern I am posting on today: Kings I by Gorham (1875)

In looking at Kings I you see that it is the oldest and by far the simplest of the three. Of all the patterns I have seen, I do not recall seeing three patterns like this that have such similar, yet small changes.

Fork (7 1/2 inches)