Learn about Fascinating Pieces of Sterling Flatware

14 Fascinating Sterling Silver Flatware Pieces

Look inside your silverware drawer and chances are you'll discover a strange fork with a very specific use. But the diversity and specificity of fork design is a relatively recent innovation. In fact, cutlery has rather rudimentary origins.


Once associated with a pitchfork (a symbol of the devil), forks were not commonly used in Europe until the 16th century. Even then, fork design consisted of two straight tines. During the 17th century, men and women began carrying individual cutlery sets, which were seen as status symbols, and fork designs shifted to include additional tines and a slight curve.


But the 19th century may well have been a golden age for silverware. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, during which factories developed capabilities to make large quantities of silverware quickly and uniformly and the discovery of vast amounts silver like the 1859 Comstock Lode in Nevada, a profusion of silverware flooded the market in both Europe and the United States.


With abundant materials and manufacturing opportunities, artisans developed specialized, specific cutlery for nearly every type of food. Serving spoons for tomatoes and cucumbers? Sure. A fork intended solely for eating strawberries? Why not?


Simultaneous advances in refrigeration made elaborate at-home entertaining possible for the growing middle class, thus triggering demand for silverware and cutlery sets that included more serving pieces. With more edible novelties (like ice cream) came more need for silver utensils designed specifically for said food (enter the ice-cream slicer).


The enthusiasm for etiquette during the Victorian era only kindled additional creative cutlery innovation. Take the food pusher, for example, which young children used to push food onto forks and spoons instead of simply using their fingers.


At the beginning of the 21st century, usage of silver faded from fashion as entertaining at home took a more casual turn. However, the recent return of decorating elements like wallpaper, canopy beds, and fainting sofas may suggest a renewed predilection for things once considered to be old fashioned even among millennials.


Furthermore, as Birmingham, AL-based interior designer Heather Chadduck points out, using silver daily doesn't require hosting a fancy affair—or even a lot of polishing. "I love the patina silver take on with regular use," says Chadduck. "And I always put it in the dishwasher."


One fun challenge for the silver shy? Try putting a piece to use in a new or unexpected way. For example, "We serve chilled soups in silver mint julep cups, and I also like to use them for flower arrangements on the bedside table," Chadduck says. In the meantime, let our primer on these 14 obscure silver cutlery pieces inspire the menu for your next dinner party.


Wallace Silver Violet Sterling Cheese Scoop

Sometimes called a Stilton Cheese Scoop after the cheese of the same name that was first made in the 18th century, a cheese scoop is a tool used to dig out individual servings of semihard cheeses. 

Gorham Silver Villa-Norfolk Sterling Chocolate Muddler Spoon

Beginning in the 18th century, as the popularity of hot chocolate spread across Europe, devotees used chocolate muddlers, which are typically two to three inches longer than an average spoon, to stir the warm beverage and prevent the chocolate from settling in the pot.

Gorham Silver Chantilly Sterling Large Jelly Server


With its pointed tip and shallow bowl, this spoon-shaped utensil is used to slice and serve molded jellies like tomato aspic, which first appeared on European tables in the late 18th century. 

Gorham Silver Strasbourg Sterling Mustard Ladle

The history of mustard as a condiment dates back to antiquity. Its more recent popularity can be traced to the 1860s, when Maurice Grey and Antoine Poupon launched their version of the condiment in Dijon, France. Enter the mustard ladle, which features a small, deep bowl set at a right angle to the handle to form a scoop and is used to serve mustard or other special condiments. 

Gorham Silver Maryland Sterling Toast Serving Fork

The Victorians considered touching rolls or "toast" in a breadbasket too risky for the transmission of germs or disease. Thus, they invented the toast serving fork for stabbing and lifting bread from the basket to a dinner plate.

Kirk Stieff Repousse Sterling Food Pusher

During the late 19th century, even children were discouraged from using their fingers to eat. This Victorian-era utensil was designed to help them push food onto their forks or spoons. 

Whiting Manufacturing Pompeian Sterling Lettuce Fork and Spoon Set

This elongated utensil set was designed for serving individual leaves of lettuce, as indicated by the fork's splayed tines and the spoon's shallow bowl. 

Whiting Manufacturing Pompeian Sterling Lettuce Fork and Spoon Set

This elongated utensil set was designed for serving individual leaves of lettuce, as indicated by the fork's splayed tines and the spoon's shallow bowl. 

Baldwin & Miller Sterling Grape Shears

This 19th-century utensil was most commonly used during the dessert course of a formal dinner. Only after individual portions of grapes had been cut from the bunch could diners use their hands to pluck the fruit from the stalk. Grape shear handles are typically much longer than the blades, which allows for more nimble operation inside a grape cluster. 

Durgin Strawberry Sterling Strawberry Fork

During the second half of the 19th century, lavish dinner services with specialized cutlery signified wealth and status. This petite fork, which typically boasts two or three tines, was used solely for dipping strawberries into different condiments such as powdered sugar or whipped cream.

International Silver Frontenac Sterling Large Cucumber Server

Similar to a tomato server, the large cucumber server features a flat bowl with cutouts that make it ideal for straining and serving cucumber slices. 

Towle Silver Old Master Sterling Ice-Cream Slicer

Prior to the mid 19th century, when insulated ice houses and advances in steam power gave rise to the American ice-cream industry, the frozen dessert was a luxury enjoyed by only the wealthiest few. Once middle class Americans were able to serve it at home, however, they celebrated by designing specific cutlery and flatware, such as the ice-cream slicer. 

International Silver Frontenac Sterling Ice-Cream Fork

Another late 19th century example of highly specialized utensils, the ice-cream fork features a shallow bowl with three or four tines. Today, proper etiquette calls for their use when serving ice cream on a plate instead of in a bowl. 

Wallace Silver Grand Baroque Sterling Cake Breaker

Resembling a comb with extra-long tines, this tool is used to cut soft, delicate cakes, such as angel food cake, without crushing the individual slice. The cake breaker was patented in 1932 by Ohio inventor Cale J. Schneider. 

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