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This listing is for a lovely English George IV Sterling Silver berry spoon, c. 1826. The beautiful chased fruit design on bowl with gilt finish was added later to a plain Georgian serving spoon to appeal to the Victorian taste. The handle has engraved decoration with monogram "D G D".
Measures 8 1/2" long with the bowl being 1 3/4" wide. Weighs 67.2 grams.
This lovely spoon is in excellent Estate condition with no noted flaws. It is marked with the English hallmarks for "London, Sterling" with date letter for 1826 and maker's stamp "G S W F" for George Smith & William Fearn.
History: Berry spoons are a type of spoon that have a chased decoration of berries or fruits on the interior of the bowl. Silver berry spoons that have marks dating prior to the mid-19th Century originated as plain serving spoons with the "berry" decoration added later. This practice started in the Mid-19th Century to adapt earlier silver spoons to the elaborate tastes of the prosperous Victorian owner. Although today we categorize all spoons with the berry and fruit decoration as "berry" spoons, Georgian berry spoons didn't exist and these spoons should be more accurately described as a "Georgian spoon in Old English pattern with later decoration".
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