Choosing the Right Fork — or Spoon

If there is an Ice Cream Fork is there also an Ice Cream Spoon? How can I tell whether this is really a Punch Ladle? Who knows the difference between a Luncheon Fork and a Dinner Fork — or Medium Fork, or Salad Fork, or Pastry Fork, or Fish Fork? The American Silver Booklet Identifying Flatware Pieces answers these questions. Piece-by-piece you examine the flatware used to serve and eat the meal. Most pieces are illustrated, using images from the catalogs of Oneida Community Ltd. and the International Silver Company.

In addition, a comprehensive index of Flatware Names and Measurements lists all the pieces described, with alternate names and usual measurements.

All this information is free.

Click on Identifying Flatware Pieces to download it, read it on screen, or print it out. Please share the information with others, but do not sell it or use it for commercial purposes. For a full listing of all booklets available and planned, click on American Silver Booklets.

Silver Is Here

For 20 years I bought and sold American silverplated flatware, then moved on to research and write about some of my favorite patterns and companies. I self-published books and maintained a website. I’m not providing the link to the website because I am transferring most of the information to this blog, after which I will discontinue the separate site.

Silver manufacturing was an important industry in the eastern U.S. between 1850 and 1920. It is a piece of our past which I have enjoyed helping to preserve. I invite you to take a look at some of my pages under the heading American silverplate.

The picture at the top of this page shows the “1847 Girl,” an important symbol used by the International Silver Company to emphasize their genteel origins. By 1948 — 100 years later — the advertising image below shows a livelier spirit, although the image is still a romantic one.