Featured Silver napkin rings...

As I continue the seemingly endless task of sorting through and packing up most of the contents of my house in preparation for sale, and my Mom's in preparation for renovation, I'm struck by how silver is just all over the place. It's in drawers, boxes and cabinets, on bookshelves, chests and tables, in china cabinets and kitchen cabinets - though not quite the silver junkie I am, Mom loved it too.

Not too much before Mom could no longer go out hunting, she started a collection of silver napkin rings, the common characteristic that they be round and simple in style. She only made it to ten, with four of those gifts from me - over the last year or so, have been adding a wide variety to the collection, wishing she could see them, even though, other than being round, they are more to my taste than hers. Today I received a lovely coin silver piece, bringing the collection to forty-two, filling the boxes I've been storing them in, and believe I'll just stop now...








~Cheryl

 

And the weirdness in the second pic is because the freakishly large Dutch piece actually has to lay flat to fit in the box:





~Cheryl

 

"believe I'll just stop now..."

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

 

Beautiful collection!
I’ve got a bangle like the bottom left in the first photo.

 

I’m a big napkin ring fan for some reason. I guess they are small and easy to collect and there are endless variations. The silver marks are often easy to miss/overlook so I often will get them pretty cheap at estate sales. Sold a couple coin silver medallion rings that I got for a buck or two apiece recently for $150 each. Those had no marks so were overlooked. Love your collection!

 

It is a beautiful collection.

 

What a delightful - untarnished - collection, some deeply embossed with flamboyant designs and others subtly engraved in the aesthetic style. Is that pierced one Chinese? If so, very sought after. Presumably you have a mixture of American and English pieces.

 

So true, INH - a lot of my 'stuff' has memories attached...

Hehe, you're right, that may end up being a joke - but I'm gonna try!

I have an oval coin medallion ring, also acquired for very little - being notoriously cheap, I don't pay any great amounts, and am surprised at some of the prices paid...


~Cheryl

 

Thank you! The pierced one next to the big Dutch ring is Chinese, Wang Hing, the small one below it is Lee Yee Hing.

About half are American, both coin and sterling, a Canadian and a Mexican, half a dozen are Scandinavian, a Dutch and a German, only four are English, two Australian, a Yogya, and a pair I'm still researching, suspect Baltic...

edit: eh, technically, one pair by American maker Gorham, were made in England...


~Cheryl

 

My very first piece of silver was an oval napkin ring, small like for a child's place setting, engraved with my name, made by Hestenes. Must have been a christening gift. But it fascinated me. I've added a few more, but nothing like your beautiful collection!

 

A very diverse collection, thanks for the details. Living in Western Australia, I'm surprised that you have two Aussie examples.

 

Oh Cheryl. How absolutely beautiful. I don't believe for one minute you'll stop there
But why on earth would you!! Xx

 

They are the newest pieces in the group (first pic, middle row, bottom two), marked 'SILVER OBLO', a Melbourne based concern since 1982, there is a chance they came from their branch in Cape Town, SA, but having seen proper South African marks on OBLO pieces, suspect these are more likely Australian made - they're quite nice, heavy and well-finished.

I have three nice Western Australian spoons, a swan salt spoon and a gumnut ladle by Jamie Linton, a Harris & Sons flower sugar spoon - and also a rather lovely 1909 English-made enamel Perth souvenir spoon...

Crummy old pic of the Jamie Linton swan:



And this pretty thing:



~Cheryl

 

I am surprised! Linton spoons fetch big money here and they turn up regularly at auction. The few we had, we sold many years ago. Thanks again for posting.

 

@DragonflyWink

Your spoon and napkin collection are the finest I've ever seen.

I had no idea there were so many shapes and designs.

 

In my family, receiving a napkin ring at the Christening was a tradition. I still have mine also.

 

Cheryl what a lovely collection to behold.

 

Ravishing collection, and so well kept shiny!
Hunting, polishing and searching for marks is a great part of the pleasure, I bet

 

Memory and collecting is a funny thing. I have a poor memory for prices in general. My husband will ask me what the price of gas was after I just filled up. I will have checked on it as I filled up but memory gone the minute I drive away. BUT i CAN remember what I paid for an item i collect 40 years later and usually were i bought it.