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Janine Skerry Shows Off the Silver Collection at Colonial Williamsburg

My interest in silver started when I was a child. One of my earliest memories was opening either my mother or father’s jewelry box and using a magnifying glass to look at all the little marks on the pieces inside. There were also a few pieces of metalwork in our family: a copper coffeepot and a small silver saucepan. My great, great, great grandfather in Sweden made the coffeepot, and my grandfather made the little silver saucepan. He passed away when I was 7. It intrigued me that people...

Evolution of New York Silver Porringer Handles

In the 19th century Americans gave little thought or attention to the work of our colonial craftsmen. If considered at all it was usually thought hat the outstanding work produced in colonial times had come from England. Professor Woolsey of Yale, in an article in Harper's Magazine in 1896, kindled interest in the subject by suggesting that much of the finest silver used in colonial days had not been made by British silversmiths but by able, skillful craftsmen in America. He urged...

The Return of the Soup Tureen

Once again the tureen, after a long period of rest on the top shelf of the china closet, is making its appearance – not only as a convenient adjunct to the buffet supper, but also at its proper place on the table at luncheons and small dinners. Whatever may have caused this phenomenon, it is not to be denied that a handsome old tureen is a very decorative object. It is scarcely to be expected, however, that the vogue for using these articles will extend so far as to require two on the table...

The Kalo Shop, a Mecca for Arts and Crafts Sterling Silver

How did I get started collecting Arts and Crafts silver? My wife and I had been collecting Arts and Crafts items as far back as I can remember, mostly furniture and tiles. One day many years ago I got bit by the silver bug. We lived in California and I’d visit antique dealers and one of them showed me a silver serving spoon by Chicago silver maker Falick Novick. It was beautifully made, the shape was great and it had little marks all over it, which I soon learned are called planishing or...