Napkin rings are thought to have originated in 19th-century France, where sterling silver serving implements of every imaginable shape and purpose were the rule on the fashionable dining tables of the well-to-do. In the United States, silver manufacturers like Gorham and Reed & Barton emulated the French, but they did so largely in silver plate rather than sterling. Their napkin rings were often figural, depicting all sorts of animals, from Continue Reading