A very ornate but rather rare piece that is no longer popular. Grape Sheers were used to cut the stems when serving grapes. Most measure 6 -7 inches long.
(Repousse by Kirk Stieff)
(Repousse by Kirk Stieff)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Berry Serving Spoon
OK, this piece has a split personality. It is officially called a Berry Spoon but every reference I found says that it is used for scooping berries and serving casseroles - go figure. In my book, those are two entirely different dishes, unless you consider a blueberry cobler - a casserole. Sometime the bowl may be plain and sometimes it can be shell shaped. Some of these pieces are the most ornate bowl type servers I have seen in sterling and vary greatly between patterns.
(Shown in Heraldic by Whiting 8 1/2 inches)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Strawberry Pieces
Strawberries must have been big because there are beautiful Strawberry Serving sets, which consist of a spoon and fork. Also, there is a Strawberry Fork, used in addition to the 5 piece place setting when strawberries are served. It has a special 3 tine designed for eating the fruit.
(Strawberry Serving Set shown in unknown pattern)
(Two Tine Strawberry Fork in an unknown pattern by Hamilton & Diesinger 4 1/2 inches)
(Three Tine Strawberry Forks shown in unknown pattern by Campbell-Metcalf)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saratoga Chip Server
Yes, the Victorian germaphobes did not want their potato chips touched by human hands as they were served from whatever vessels (bowls, baskets, etc.) they used. So, naturally one would use a sterling silver server - a Saratoga Chip Server . These can be found in most patterns. The name Saratogo comes from the history of the potato chip, invented in Saratoga, NY in 1853. The servers only date back to 1873 - I wonder what they did up until that time?
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