{"product_id":"sterling-silver-serviette-ring-birmingham-1959","title":"Sterling Silver Serviette Ring | Engine-Turned | Engraved \"S.P.D.\" | Birmingham | 1959–60","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSterling Silver Serviette Ring | Engine-Turned | Engraved \"S.P.D.\" | Birmingham | 1959–60\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA ring of silver for one place at the table, with three initials to say whose place it was.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eServiette rings became familiar objects on the 19th-century dining table, when cloth napkins were often kept for repeated use between launderings. Engraved initials were one way of identifying them. Many surviving examples still bear the names or initials of those for whom they were first intended.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ring is a plain cylinder with stepped, moulded borders at top and bottom. The band between them is engine-turned in a wavy-line pattern, with a rectangular cartouche left plain and engraved in script with the initials \"S.P.D.\" The marks, struck in a row on the band, are the maker's mark W A, the anchor for Birmingham, the lion passant for sterling silver, and the date letter for 1959–60.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ring is in excellent condition, with the engine-turned decoration and engraved initials clearly defined.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaker: W A (unidentified maker's mark)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDate: Birmingham, 1959–60\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: sterling silver\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForm: cylindrical serviette ring with stepped borders\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecoration: engine-turned wavy-line pattern; rectangular cartouche engraved \"S.P.D.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarks: W A, Birmingham anchor, lion passant, date letter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: diameter 4.4 cm; height 2 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 9 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: excellent; engine-turning and engraving clearly defined\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyer profile: collector of English hallmarked silver; buyer looking for a dated silver gift; someone with the initials S.P.D.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCollector Appeal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Birmingham hallmarks place this ring in the 1959–60 assay year, giving it particular appeal to collectors of dated English silver and to anyone looking for a gift connected with that time. The closely spaced engine-turning remains well defined, and the engraved initials keep a small trace of an earlier owner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInitials outlast the meals; S.P.D. remains, though the name behind them is no longer known.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Dancing Faun Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40427283415240,"sku":"","price":495.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/3497\/2104\/products\/2021-06-28_14.34.40.jpg?v=1624905933","url":"https:\/\/dancingfaun.co.za\/products\/sterling-silver-serviette-ring-birmingham-1959","provider":"The Dancing Faun Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}