Gem carving was mainly an activity carried out in certain Bavarian regions of Europe.
I have just been able to acquire two hand carved agate cameo spoons.
These two spoons feature hand carved agate cameo's. Gem cutting is an old skill that is no longer done on a commercial scale (except in China where labor is very cheap)
This is what the complete spoon looks like -- marked, but very difficult to read--prob 800
A beautiful large filigree serving spoon from Germany featuring a large garnet
three small garnets set into some type of fruit (pomegranite?)
Three faceted garnets set in the finial as cherries on a stem. The gold washed bowl is engraved "Berlin". These stones may be manmade.
nice sized red garnet mounted on a hand made Austrian spoon (1922)
During the first part of the 20th century, the famous English firm of Liberty & Co. developed a unique looking piece of art nuevo flatware featuring flat cut stones mounted at the handle. These extremely thin pieces of stone were difficult to create and few of these pieces have survived. This demi spoon features four of these stones. The top is probably bloodstone, the two red ones on the side are probably jasper, and the bottom one is a dark green and is probably jade. The gold washed bowl is engraved "Edinburgh". This spoon is not Liberty, but it is an obvious derivative of this style.
This is a delightful little spoon which features a basket of flowers made from gemstones.
There is an amethyst, a white rock crystal, and a shiny hard black stone (unidentified)
The mark is very indistinct but appears to be "800"
The handle is in the shape of a tree branch and is quite detailed
Interesting British spoon with a moon stone mounted at the top
Moonstone has been popular since the Greeks and Roman made jewelry
During the Art Nuevo movement, French designer Rene Lalique repopularized it
the design probably has some significance --but I don't know what it is
any ideas?
Nice enameled spoon from Neustadt, Germany with a translucent green stone mounted in the finial.
I suspect that this is chrysophrase which is found in the area.
I like the wavy art nouveau design of the handle
Another Art Nouveau design with a chrysophrase from Baden Baden which is a resort community near the Southern border
Another nice Art Nouveau German spoon featuring a chrysophrase
Very large faceted amethyst is mounted in the finial of this nicely handmade spoon from Italy
Two interesting spoons made with (synthetic) turquoise. The back indicates they are made of 800 silver which leads me to believe that they are European, with a silversmith mark of "HW". I have a few more of these if you have an interest in trading or buying.
I suspect that this spoon with man made(synthtic) turquoise is from the USA because it is marked "sterling", but I am showing it here because of the similar spoons from Europe. The nice part of this spoon is the small engravings which make the stones look like "stars"
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