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Silvermine - guide to english silver Category: Agriculture and Industry > Silver terms Date & country: 04/09/2008, UK Words: 155

Electrotyping
An extension of the Electroplating process that deposits a layer of metal on casts taken from originals. This process allowed the accurate reproduction of intricate and complex designs such as shields, plaques, sculptures and carvings. The process was patented by the Elkington

Electroplating
The process of coating a base metal (generally nickel) with pure silver through the process of electrolysis.

Egg and dart
An edge moulding, usually stamped in sections, of ovoid shapes alternating with vertical arrow-like bars. Said to have been derived from shields and spears. Chiefly used during the 16thC and early 17thC it was revived during the 19thC by the vogue for gothicism.

Diaper
Ornament, often done by chasing, producing a trellised or latticed design of diamonds, squares, and similar formal shapes.

Duty Marks
A mark of the Sovereign's Head in profile struck on all silver from 1st December 1784 to 1st May 1890 to indicate that duty had duly been paid at the time of assay. More

Date Letter
The letter of the alphabet used by assay offices to indicate the year of assay and changed annually. The months the letters changed were different for each office until 1975 when the remaining assay offices all started on the 1st January with the letter 'A'. More

Cutlery
Any implement with a cutting edge, including knives, scissors, penknives, razors but excluding fish knives and servers and butter knives which are classed as flatware.

Cut card
Silver sheet of thin guage cut into silhouettes, usually of foliage or scrollwork design, soldered on to bowls, cups, tankards, inkwells and other silver to produce ornament in relief. Especially popular during the last half of the 17thC.

Cupellation
An assaying or refining process whereby the components of an alloy oxidised at high temperature are separated by absorbtion into the walls of a 'cupel', a shallow porous vessel.

Cruet
Small bottles, usually with a stopper, used for oil and vinegar in domestic settings and for wine and water in the eucharist; usually of glass, with silver stopper from the 18thC. More

Cruet frame
Silver stand, fitted for cruet bottles, often designed in the 18thC for several bottles or two bottles and three casters.

Crest
Heraldic device or badge surmounting a coat of arms. Originally worn on a knight's helmet, it was used on silverwares as an indication of ownership without the expense of having a full coat of arms engraved.

Cresting
An edging ornament standing proud of a horizontal surface, fashionable on medieval and early Renaissance silver.

Communion Cup
The vessel which took the place of the chalice in Anglican communion services after the Reformation, generally with a beaker-shaped bowl, knopped stem and circular foot.

Coral and Bells
Old name for a childs rattle, usually incorporating a whistle, the coral terminal being an aid to teething.

Coaster
A small tray for circulating bottles or food around the dining table, especially a circular decanter stand with silver sides and a turned wooden base.

Cloisonné
A form of enamelling in which narrow strips of metal wire are soldered on to the base to form compartments into which the enamel is poured.

Close Plating
A method of applying a layer of silver foil to tinned steel by heat fusion and burnishing. Originally a cutlers device for plating knives, scissors, spurs and the like.

Chippendale
A moulded border of alternating long convex and short concave curves, much used for salvers and waiters from c.1730 in imitation of the wood-carving patterns popularised by the furniture-maker Thomas Chippendale.

Chasing
The tooling or surface working of metal to create a relief pattern. Different punches of various sizes and shapes are used to push the metal into different patterns. Unlike engraving or carving, this does not entail the removal of any metal.

Chinoiserie
An escapist Western style loosely based on Chinese art and motifs usually applied to European forms. The style was popular in silver during thelate 17thC and mid 18thC with a further revival c.1820.

Champlevé
A form of enamelling in which the ground is recessed to receive the enamel.

Charger
A large, shallow plate or dish used for serving meat. Sometimes used for decorative purposes.

Chamber Candlestick
A small portable candlestick on a plate-shaped base with a scroll or ring handle; often equipped with a snuffer or extinguishers. Found in the late 16thC and into the 19thC.

Cellini Ewer
William Elliot was the first to reproduce the so-called 'Cellini' ewer in the 1820's, a vase shaped piece richly decorated with masks, foliage, strapwork, medallions and scrolls in what was considered to be at the time the Renaissance style. The design continued to be made in silver and later in electro-plate throughout the 19thC.

Caudle Cup
Popular two handled vessel of the second half of the 17thC. Now more properly called a porringer, these vessels were supposed to have been used for drinking 'caudle', a warm spiced gruel of oatmeal, ale, sugar and spices which was much advocated for curing minor ills and recommended for pregnant women. Also known as a posset cup.

Casting
A process for making metal objects whereby molten metal is poured into a mould.

Caster
A box or container of variable form but with a pierced cover, for sprinkling sugar, salt or ground spices. More

Cartouche
Originally a scroll of paper (as in the surrounds for the names of the Pharoahs of Egypt), it was developed as a decorative shield, normally engraved, embossed or cast, and generally containing a coat of arms or an inscription.

Carat
A measure of the purity of gold. Pure gold is 24 carats, alloyed with 50% of other metals it becomes 12 carats. Until the hallmarking act of 1798 all gold had to be 22 carat, although marked with the same marks as sterling silver.

Campana
Of Greek vase shape, waisted like a bell. A term used to describe the neo-classical vases of the Regency period.

Candelabrum
A candlestick with arms and nozzles for two or more candles.

Burnishing
The technique whereby gold or silver is brought to a high finish by rubbing the surface with a hard smooth object such as agate or other hardstone, a dog's tooth (presumably removed from the dog) or very high grade steel.

Bullet shape
Spheroid form popular for teapots during the second quarter of the 18thC, with flush cover and tapering sides.

Britannia
A silver alloy composed of 95.84% silver and 4.16% other metals, also expressed as 11 ounces 10 dwt (pennyweight) of pure silver to 8 dwt per pound Troy.

Buffet of Plate
The means by which the princes, nobility and ecclesiastics of the Middle Ages and the 16thC displayed their wealth . Plate and precious vessels were displayed in rows in the dining halls.

Bright-cut
A technique of engraving much used in the later part of the 18thC. The effect is achieved by the back of the graver burnishing the cut as the front part of the tool picks out the metal giving a distinctivly crisp appearance.

Billet
A simple box-like moulding of alternating relief bars, usually achieved by stamping and much used on mid-16thC plate.

Bombé
A baluster - like curved form but of square or rectangular section rather than circular.

Boss
A raised area used in decoration, originally the protuberance on a shield.

Beading
A decorative border ornament composed of adjacent half rounds. Used on trays, waiters and salvers particularly during the neo-classical period and later.

Bath Border
A moulded applied border formed of pairs of shallow curves meeting at a point intersected by short straight sections. Used for waiters and salvers.

Baluster
Small vertical moulding of undulating profile and usually of circular section, commonly used for candlesticks and finials and stems of cups, etc.

Auricular
Early 17thC Dutch style characterized by lobe-shaped or cartilaginous forms; developed by Paul and Adam van Vianen of Utrecht. Found in English silver during the second quarter of the 17thC. Also known as the lobate style.

Assay Scrape
The portion of silver scraped from an unfinished piece by the assayer, sometimes visible as a series of long gouges on the backs of trays and waiters. Usually these marks are removed by the maker during finishing when it has been returned from hallmarking.

Assay
The testing and trial of metals to determine their purity by touch, fire, cupellation or other means. There are four Assay Offices in Great Britain today; London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Sheffield.

Armorial
The representation of a full coat of arms including the motto (if any), the shield of arms, the helmet and crest engraved on a piece of silver.

Argyll
A vessel resembling a small coffee pot designed for keeping gravy warm whilst on the table. An inner chamber is filled with hot water thus keeping the surrounding gravy warm. First recorded c.1760, it was possibly first made for the 4th Duke of Argyll.

Anthemion
From the Greek word for flower; bands of stylized lotus and palmette motifs derived from classical architecture.

Apron
Decorative framework between the supports of a kettle stand, basket, épergne or centrepiece. Often cast, pierced and chased.

Arabesque
Surface decoration of scrolling, and intertwining foliage, tendrils and scrolls. Thought to be of Moorish influence, it became popular in northern Europe in the middle of the 16thC reaching England in the second half of the century and becoming popular in the decorative arts.

Annealing
Process for restoring the malleability of silver or other metals which have been made brittle by hammering; the metal is heated until red hot then plunged into cold water. This re-arranges the molecular structure of the metal.

Andiron
Metal objects in pairs, with a horizontal iron bar for supporting logs in the fireplace and a vertical decorative element at the front in brass, iron or silver. Popular in England until the 18thC when

Alloy
Originally the fineness of gold or silver was determined 'à la loi' - according to the law. Later this term was applied to the mixing of base metals such as copper to gold or silver to harden or colour it.

Acanthus
Classical ornament in the form of stylized leaf decoration based on the scalloped leaves of the acanthus plant.