I’ve been collecting antique silverware for quite some time now and out of all the spoons I’ve ever purchased and transformed into rings, it’s the brighcut ones that seem the most popular and the ones that sell out really quickly. So I’ve been on a bit of a mission to hunt down some new (surely I mean old!?) designs for the New Year. On my bench today you will find…
To start off the new collection I have acquired two sets of two really beautiful teaspoons.
Brightcut is a term used to describe a type of decorative engraving that is created by making a series of short cuts in the silver that causes the exposed surfaces to reflect light and give impressions of brightness. The technique was used a lot in silverware and silver objects that were handled regularly as the engraving helped to hide marks made by the skin, namely fingerprints.
The two spoon below were made by the silversmiths James Wakely & Frank Clarke Wheeler, in London, in 1900.
These are going to make such lovely rings!
With brightcut engraved spoons it’s best to oxidise the silver and then polish them by hand to bring out the pattern. The dark patina stays in the cuts in the metal while the raised areas become highly polished and reflective. You can see this effect in the photographs quite clearly.
The two spoons below were made by the silversmith John Round, in Sheffield, in 1911.
I can’t wait to make these into rings!
If you like the designs and want to stake a claim, then simply comment below, or send me an email and let me know you would like to order a ring. There are only two available of each design so get in there quick if you’re interested.
The spoons with the design with the arm engraving, directly above, have quite long stems, so they can be quite accommodating with regards to ring sizes from small to large. However the other design, incorporating flowers, is a lot shorter, so I could probably only make ring in sizes up to about a P (UK sizing). If you need help find out your ring size, you can download my nifty ring chart and tool here.
I have my eye on a few other pieces, so will update the blog if and when I add to my collection.
What do you think of the designs? Comment below….
