Kozuka by Gorham Sterling Mixed Metal Fruit Knife Dessert Fork w Falcon last quarter 19th Century..

Amazing and hard to find pair !  Gorham Sterling mark of last quarter of 19th Century...Brass with Sterling Gorham blade and fork tines...The knife measures a little over 7 3/4" and  the fruit fork is 7 1/2" ...Matched pair with Falcon motif...

Used with signs of use and storage such as scruffs and surface abrasions. 

Small utility knives, known as kozuka, had long been highly valued craft objects in Japan where they were traditionally cast from fine metals, such as bronze. After Japan opened to international trade, craftsmen produced kozuka for Westerners who sometimes repurposed the handles to make dining knives. Eventually Japanese manufacturers began selling the handles alone, crafting them from various metals with die stamped decoration gilded in select areas. The Gorham Manufacturing Company added their own sterling silver blade designs, decorated with butterflies, fans, and geometric patterns applied to Western-style utensils, such as dessert forks and salad servers. The resulting knives resemble Japanese swords with decorated handles.