posted 04-20-2008 10:43 AM            

I put this question out to all of you silverphiles who relish the mystery of deciphering the engravings on old silver to understand the history of the piece.

If you were to commission a piece of silver as a gift to someone such as a wedding present, how much information would you impart on the engraved message? For example, would you spell out full names of both giver and recipient so that if some silver sleuth down the road tries to track down the actual people involved they would have an easier time of it? Or would the use of full names be too much?

posted 04-20-2008 11:52 AM            

As much as you would like the all info possible, (I would), I think it comes down to the cost factor, and of course space available on the piece. Right now, I personally am going to be engraving a spoon for my first Grand child, so your post is most mind provoking. Also I would consult with the parents to see what they would like it to say.

Jersey

posted 04-20-2008 01:09 PM            

As a collector, which is more interesting: something like the "Octo Octavo" that had people puzzling all week, or something like "Given to Ethel Mae Killum on the occasion of her retirement with 50 years of service as 2nd assistant librarian, 22 July 1913, etc. etc."? Both have their interests, depends on what catches your fancy as much as anything else. Those long, detailed inscriptions probably become more interesting as more time passes and they becomes records of otherwise neglected data.

posted 05-10-2008 12:32 PM            

I've just had one of the most satisfying experiences since becoming interested in silver less than nine months ago -- giving away a piece of the family silver.

What made it especially satisfying was the combination of appropriate engraving, the weight and usefulness of the serving piece, and the fact that it's in a pattern that many find appealing but that I'm not eager to have.

It's a "hotcake lifter" (solid, round blade) in a repousse pattern by Stieff that was a wedding gift to my grandmother in 1917. The engraving, done in an interlocking script style, is of my grandmother's married initials. [Against the apparent convention for engraved monograms, the letters are in the order in which they'd appear in a printed monogram -- first name initial, maiden name initial, married last name initial.]

The bride, my cousin, has the same first name as my grandmother and me and is marrying someone whose last name begins with the same letter as my grandmother's married name. The middle initial is different; my grandmother's silver had a B where my cousin would have a P, but the engraving is so swirly that it's quite possible to persuade yourself that the B is a P.