Almond Scoop

The Almond Scoop is a very small piece, some only 4 5/8 inches in length, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Most patterns have a wide circular bowl with ornate piercings. A truly beautiful piece. Used to scoop and serve almonds.

(Shown in Bacchante by Watson 6 inches)

(Shown in Flora by Shiebler 6 inches)

(Shown in Olympia by Watson 6 inches)

(Shown in Lily by Watson 4 5/8 inches)

Pastry Server

The Pastry Server was used to move a piece of pastry to your plate. Then you would use a small Pastry Fork to eat the pastry. (In the event a pastry fork is not available, a salad fork will do nicely.)

(Pastry Fork shown in Buttercup by Gorham 5 3/4 inches)

(Pastry Fork shown in Georgian by Towle 5 3/4 inches)

Lemon Fork

Here we have a Lemon Fork well designed for piercing the thick rind of lemons. The splayed sharp tines assist in serving lemons. The number of tines varies from two to three. The helpful hostess can provide these with cocktails, seafood, or tea.

(Shown in Repousse by Kirk 4 1/2 inches)

(Shown in Valinciennes by Manchester 4 3/4 inches)

Olympian by Tiffany

The Olympian pattern designed by Tiffany is an incredibly unique work of silverware. Dr. Hood describes it best.

HISTORY OF OLYMPIAN PATTERN "Tiffany Silver Flatware 1845-1905 When Dining Was an Art"

“The style is Academic Beaux-Arts. The patent application credits Edward C. Moore, but there is good reason to believe F. Antoine Heller also contributed. The pattern was first introduced at the Expositiion Universelle, Paris, 1878. Olympian is a multi-motif pattern with seventeen (17) different handle decorations depicting subjects and stories from classical mythology. The motif varies with whether a piece has a flat or hollow handle.

Each design is elaborate, and though sharply carved, can be seen to best advantage when the background is oxidized, as are all pieces offered in this listing. On the obverse of each piece, the design covers the entire handle and has an unusual horizontal orientation.

Although the concept of seventeen (17) different handle designs in one flatware service was original, the idea of depicting a finely detailed scene horizontally over the entire flatware handle just as if it were a frieze was not.”

There are lovely pieces within the pattern.

(Kidney shaped conch spoon)

(Gravy Ladle)

(Cheese Scoop)

Poultry Shears

Instead of having the servants cut the poultry in the kitchen prior to bringing it into the dining room to serve your guests, sterling silver Poultry Shears allowed hostesses to have their guests served their poultry warm at the table with style. These shears were used to quickly cut up the poultry into serving size pieces.

(Shown in Rose Pattern by S. Kirk & Son  10 1/8)

(Shown in Repousse by Kirk & Sons 10 1/8  inches)

Salad Serving Pieces

Once again the Victorians always happy to have another piece of sterling. The Lettuce Fork (approx 7 1/2 inches) was designed as a piece of flatware to go with a 5 piece place setting, used to eat a lettuce salad (a new favorite of the time). Although you can find old pieces in today's patterns, I could not find a pattern that still made them.

(Lettuce Fork shown in Monticello by Lunt)

A more standard salad serving piece is the Salad Serving Set consisting of a large fork and spoon. These are still found in most patterns. Although the pieces in the antique patterns tend to be more ornate.

(Salad Serving Set in Etruscan by Gorham)

What Size is it?

Is it Lunch, Dinner, Place or perhaps Grille? Confused? Many are. When patterns were introduced there were two sizes of the standard knife and fork, a luncheon size and a dinner size. The "Luncheon" being smaller for the breakfast and lunch meals. The larger "Dinner" being used for the dinner or more formal meal. In the 1940's a few manufactures produced a "Grille" size, which had an elongated handle and shorter knife blade and fork tines. (An example of this is Stateley by State House.)

Then in the late 50's, early 60's, manufactor's started producing a "Place" size which was larger than the luncheon size but smaller than the dinner size. Some just renamed their luncheon size fork, made some minor changes to their luncheon size knife, and called both their "Place" size.

Here is the "rule" of thumb to go by:

A luncheon fork is between 6 7/8 and 7 1/4 inches

A place fork is between 7 1/4 and 7 3/8 inches

A dinner fork is between 7 1/2 and 8 inches

A luncheon knife is between 8 3/4 and 9 inches

A place knife is between 9 1/8 and 9 1/4 inches

A dinner knife is between 9 5/8 and 10 inches

Pudding Spoon

Not designed for Jello type creamy pudding, the silver Pudding Spoon was designed to serve the Victorian pudding dish which was a vegetable or corn dish. This would often have a crust and the point on the end of the spoon could pierce the crust. An old piece that is not often found

(Shown in Landers No.2 by Baker Manchester 7 1/2 inches)

(Shown in Georgian by Towle 9 1/8  inches)

Dessert Place Pieces

The Dessert Fork is placed above the plate or charger at the meal for the dessert following the meal. The Desert Fork is shorter and wider than a regular place fork in a place setting.

(Dessert Fork in Hyperion by Whiting 6 1/4 inches)

(Dessert Knife shown in Audubon by Tiffany 7 1/2 inches)

After a pastry is served to you with a pastry server, you are to eat the pastry with a Pastry Fork . However, it is easier to eat a Danish or Cinnamon Roll with a Fruit Fork (fun facts to know and tell). A Pastry Fork is usually a bit smaller fork than a desert fork.

(Pastry Fork shown in Mazarin by Dominick and Haff 6  inches)

Ice Cream Things

Ice Cream, being a very popular Victorian desert deserved all the appropriate utensils. One has the Ice Cream Fork, Ice Cream Spoon, Ruffled Sherbet Spoon, Sherbet Spoon, and Sherbet Fork,

Ice Cream Forks were the first "sporks" having a bowl shape like a spoon with short tines attached to the end.

(Ice Cream Fork shown in Buttercup by Gorham (5 1/4 inches))

(Ice Cream Forks shown in Puritan by Gorham (5 1/2 inches))

(Ice Cream Spoon shown in Majestic by Alvin 5 1/2 inches)

(Ruffled Sherbet Spoon shown in Chrysanthemum by Tiffany (5 3/8 inches))

(Sherbet Spoons shown in Baltimore Rose by Schofield (5 7/8 inches))

(Sherbet Fork shown in Mary Chilton by Towle (4 3/4 inches))
 Differ from Ice Cream forks in that the tines or connected.