Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: Shears

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?

Showing posts with label Shears. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Poultry Shears Part 3

More examples of Poultry Shears (I posted earlier on these pieces).

WEB3 by Web Silver (11 1/2 inches)

Etruscan by Gorham (10 1/8 inches)

Lenore by Manchester (11 1/8 inches)

Wakefield by Kirk Stieff (11 inches)

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Poultry Shears Part 2

Poultry Shears were designed to cut up whole chickens after they were cooked. You will note, as opposed to the design of the Grape Shears, the Poultry Shears are much longer to better serve their mission. Also they are much less expensive, usually under $200 a pair. Here are some more examples of Poultry Shears.

Violet by Wallace (10 1/2 inches)

Athene by Amston (10 5/8 inches)

Sovereign-Old by Gorham (10 1/4 inches)

Georgian by Towle (10 1/2 inches)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Grape Shears (Part 2)

Several years ago I posted on sterling "shears", both Grape and Poultry. Here I am going to focus on Grape Shears. These were designed as utensils to use when serving grapes to cut the fruit from the pulpy stems. The handles are usually ornate. These pieces are not easy to come by and can run anywhere from $500 to as much as $2000 a piece retail.

Chrysanthemum by Tiffany (6 5/8 inches)

Ancestry by Weidlich (7 inches)

Repousse by Kirk-Stieff (6 3/4 inches)

Saturday, January 16, 2010

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)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Grape Shears

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)