Saturday, June 8, 2013

Inspired Sunday: Pearl Handled Flatware

I hope you've had a lovely week. I added some vintage beauty to my kitchen with a 
display of flowers and pearl-handled flatware:

Made from oyster shell, pearl-handled flatware was popular from the late 1800s to the 1920s. 
 Mine dates from the late 1800s. The blades and tines are silver plated, and 
the ornate bands around the handles are sterling. I love how the pearl catches the light:

I have lots of dinner knives as well as fruit knives that have a sharp edge for cutting whole fruit, popular as fruit became more available in the late 1800s due to transport by trains:

Butter knives:

Forks:

And this wonderful fruit set,

that came in this lovely oak box:

Some of my favorite knives have carved handles:


I loved carved pearl:

I set the table with it for special dinners, but when I'm not using my pearl handled flatware, 
I sometimes display it in pressed glass to be enjoyed by all:



What inspiration did other bloggers bring to my intimate (small, lol) party this week?

Lisa at Helene's Legacy designed a powder room that is truly an inspiration. Hop over to her blog and
 read what  inspired her beautiful bathroom. The wallpaper alone makes me sing!

Nicole of Southern Charm was inspired to add summery starfish to her Easter
decor to extend the life of her lovely display from spring into the summer:


Have a great Sunday!

If you were featured, please grab my button from the left side bar and display it
on your blog!  Thanks!
                                                                                        Laura

Now show us what inspires you!
Please link back to my blog and become a follower.



21 comments:

Lynn said...

Your flatware is beautiful! My sister-in-law collects it and I was thrilled to find a large carving set at an antique store years ago:@)

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Laura,
Your flatware is to to die for!! Stunning!!

Thanks so much for hosting!!

Hugs,
Deb

Christine @ Rustic-Refined said...

Your flatware is stunning....I have never seen that pearl handle style before...it is gorgeous!

Marigene said...

Beautiful flatware, Laura!

DeniseinVA said...

A delightful post Laura and what looks like a fun meme. I am a bit short on time now but I would like to join in another time. I love your flowers and the flatware is really lovely. Thanks for linking with Today's Flowers.

Denise
Today’s Flowers
An English Girl Rambles

VintageMom said...

Thanks for the feature :) Today I'm sharing some of my favorite vintage aprons. I am also drooling over your gorgeous flatware!

The Charm of Home said...

Very pretty flatware! Great find.
Sherry

Anonymous said...

That flatware is REALLY beautiful! And displaying it in the cut crystal pitcher makes it even more pretty. Great idea. You are fortunate to have such a great collection. Something new for me to look for, just what I needed, ha ha. Thanks for hosting. Take care - Dawn @ We Call It Junkin

Live Inspired! said...

Visiting from You're Gonna Love it Tuesday! Your flatware is gorgeous!!!! I don't have any pearl handled flatware, but almost bought some last week. It wasn't the real stuff- it was a gorgeous vintage design , but the pearl like handles were actually a polished resin made in Italy to mimic this very look. I had a hard time choosing between that pattern and another patter. In the end I didn't go with the faux pearl set, as it was faux for one..and for two I decided maybe it wasn't such an everyday set (like what I needed). You are making me want to go back and order it now though :). It really does look beautiful.

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

Oh, your flatware is GORGEOUS!!! Where did you get it? I have some FAUX pearl handled flatware from Target:):) I love yours. XO, Pinky

One Shabby Old House said...

Beautiful!

Laura Turner said...

Thanks for all the sweet comments, everyone! I collected this over the past 20 years, beginning at a silver show, then antiques shops, and then some from Ebay! Ebay has quite a lot, and the prices vary. In my experience, people who sell silver, mainly antiques dealers, are very honest so Ebay can be a good choice. Just ask lots of questions before you buy.

Laura Turner said...

Some of you have mentioned considering the plastic handled faux pearl. While it is beautiful new, the feel and look are completely different. The real thing is worth the investment or the continual hunt on Ebay to get a good price. Forks are very difficult to find, but the pearl handled knives look great with sterling forks.

Chubby Chieque said...

That is an absolutely gorgeous treasure.

There are some fine flatwares to collect at Zara Home that I spotted when I was in Lisbon.

TY for sharing.

Greetings from Stockholm,
/CC girl

Tea in the Library said...

I always learns something from your posts. And your mother of pearl flatware is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing. And for hosting. What some weeks lack in quantity than make up for in quality. Everyone last week was great.

Art and Sand said...

Your pearl handled flatware is lovely.

I am a color girl and have just added green, blue and as of today, red and white polka dot utensils to my tablescaping repertoire. I would love to find some pearl handled pieces.

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

So beautiful Laura, this is my Decor Feature for this week's Creative HomeAcre Hop! Thanks for sharing, and I hope it brings your hop some new visitors!
Cheers, Andrea

Eckart said...

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Diethelm said...

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Ingwer said...

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