VICTORIAN Silver Figural Napkin Rings 101

Hi,

My name is Diane and I am a buyer and seller of Victorian Silver Figural Napkin Rings (dlcass).  I only discovered these beautiful works of art last summer (06) when I began my eBay business.  I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I have educated myself and learned a few things by trial and error that I want to pass along to other eBayers interested in this subject. 

Figural Napkin Rings 101

HISTORY

The Victorian Era was the age of Silver.  Up until the mid-1800's silver of any kind, whether plated or sterling, was rare and expensive.  Except for the very rich, most people could not afford it.  Going into the mid 1800's, three separate, historical events occurred resulting in the ability to fashion objects of silver, or in silver plate, that made it more available to the common household. They were:

- The discovery of the Comstock Lode and other mines in the newly opened western frontier of the United States

- The invention of BRITANNIA - a metal alloy similar to pewter, though harder, more workable, and without lead. 

- Lastly, technology advanced creating new ways to fashion and manufacture silver with less manual labor involved, thus lowering costs and increasing production ability.  

The new source of silver flooded the market lowering prices and silversmiths formed companies to craft this new silver into beautiful objects to meet the growing demand. Many of our most well know silver companies began at this time or slightly before; Rogers, Gorham, Wallace, Reed & Barton, etc...  Many of these new companies banded together, sharing resources, technology, doing each other's plating, etc...and eventually formed new Large corporations.  These are still known and operating today under the familiar names of International Silver and Oneida Silversmiths.

SOCIOLOGY

The Victorians delighted in the enlightenment of the individual person, as well as society as a whole.  They heartily took up causes, became more aware and active in environmental issues, politics, medical advancements and created an entire social order based on entertaining and doing it well. 

As the average person became more comfortably well off and could afford the embellishments of comfort, embellish they did...HEARTILY!  The shear number and varieties of even the humble spoon created in this era are almost mind boggling! Cream spoons, soup spoons for both broth and cream soups, ice cream, sugar, berry, bon bon, orange or citrus...it goes on and on.  

Eating became an event, on every occasion that the family got together to eat...whether there were guests or not.  When guests were present, they pulled out all the stops, filling the table and sideboard lavishly with food, utensils and decorative objects! 

Napkin rings were a must at the well dressed table.  No self respecting Victorian would be without them when entertaining.  They reflected the Victorian society and its interests perfectly in their miniature sculpted forms.  Who would have thought that something as simple as a napkin ring could say so much about them.  Here is a sampling: 

NATURE

Their newfound love of all things natural lead to the crafting of items for the home that displayed their sensitivity to nature. Fruits and flowers, birds and animals adorned all manner of objects.  Many figural napkin rings celebrate this love of nature in great abandon incorporating all these elements with cats, dogs, birds, sheep, squirrels, roses, butterflies, pears and even rats.  

LITERATURE

The Victorians were highly literate, both writing and reading great amounts of prose and poetry, as well as being effusive in their writing of letters to one another.  An interest in the classics resurfaced, as well as in ancient myths and mythology.  Many figural napkin rings reflect this line of interest with chubby cherubs, characters from books (Kate Greenaway's lovely children), myths (Young Eros riding a Greek Mythological Dolphin) and legends (Rip Van Winkle).

HEALTH

They became newly interested in healthy living and sports as a means to achieve a healthy disposition...a few napkin rings celebrate this with figures of sports like hockey, golf and tennis. Many napkin rings also contain the phrase BEST WISHES, reflecting their desire for their friends to be healthy and prosperous.    

So, that is it in a nutshell.  There is so much more to say, but it will have to wait for another blog.  Hopefully this gives you a little insight into why these beautiful objects were made and why they still exist.  They are simply marvelous!

This is my first time blogging so I would welcome your feedback as to whether this has been helpful to you or how I could do this better.  I plan to do another one soon on how to tell an original from a fake or reproduction.  It thought it would be too much to include it here.  Thanks for your time and attention.  I hope you will check out my auctions where I frequently have one of these items up for bids. 

Diane, The Silver Nut