June 4, 2015

MOP

For years, I have been collecting beautiful French Ivory-handled knives and forks. When I first started collecting them, I’d find one knife. Then a few months later, I’d find another knife. And then I found a fork. But that all changed when I moved to the UK, where these pieces are very common and available in every antique/charity shop. IMG_7006

In addition to the knives and forks I’ve collected, I also have the stunning spoons that House of Beauty & Culture had made for me a few years back. They remain one of my treasured possessions. image

Recently, however, I bought a cache of mother-of-pearl handled cutlery and I am mad for it now! Mother-of-Pearl is also called MOP because that’s way easier than spelling it all out!

One set in particular had to be MINE!image

How gorgeous is this set of knives and forks! I adore the ferns. I’d never seen anything like these. There were dozens of pieces in the lot that I bought, and clearly, I can’t use them all. So they’re headed off to my Etsy shop starting this week. Here are some of the other pieces I got. imageIMG_2015IMG_2011IMG_2043set 5Set 30

Each piece is so exquisite and beautifully made. Most of the ferrules are silver, either marked Sterling for American pieces, or hallmarked for the English ones. Some of the knife blades are marked “Cutlers to Her Majesty” with a VR on them, too! image

I am still going through the sets and as I do, I discover how unique each and every one is!

15 comments:

  1. These are all so gorgeous, on to your shop Meg....

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Jackson Pollock Mural

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    1. Wait for a day or two, the light's been so bad because of all of our rain, I haven't been able to photograph most of it.

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  2. Love, love the fern. I have fern glasses - they would be so pretty - I'm going to keep my eye out now that I know they exist.

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  3. gorgeous!! Glad you're keeping the ones with ferns. You can't sell everything! hehe.

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    1. Nah... selling them. It's only me, so why do I need all of this... the fun is in the hunt!

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  4. Mother and Pearl and Sterling. It can't get any better! Well, yes, it could. Sadly you don't ship to Canada. Sigh. I'll have to stare at the pictures instead.
    Cathy

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    1. I can send it to canada, but the postage is always astonishingly high.

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  5. they are beautiful + stunning!xx peggybraswelldesign.com

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  6. Oh my gosh SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

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  7. I always associate MOP handled cutlery strongly with the Victorian-era. It has since fallen out of fashion but you've unearthed some very pretty pieces.

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  8. Hello Meg, Superb finds! Were these pearl-handled pieces in their original presentation boxes--they look so perfect. Here, some additions to the MOP-French Ivory-Real Ivory class that you can look out for are vegetable ivory and giant clam shell. I recently got some pieces that I'm pretty sure are vintage giant clam, and they have aged and patinated beautifully.
    --Jim

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  9. Ermahgerd... the MOPs with the silver ferrules....gahhhhhhhh! I will dream about these things now. Why, Meg, WHYYYYYY? You are evil, in the best possible way.

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