A World War II 9 carat gold and enamel sweetheart brooch for the Durban Light Infantry Regiment of South Africa. The brooch features the infantry bugle with tassels under the Royal crown. The brooch has 2 colours of enamel, red in the crown and green for the letters DLI. It is mounted on a bar brooch, also 9 carat gold, the pin is also gold, often the pins are a base metal. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold, the clasp is also marked 9 for 9 carat gold. The George VI crown shows this dates to WW II, the DLI fought in North Africa and Italy (including El Alamein and Monte Cassino). The regiment was founded in 1854, and still exists today, they were called the Royal Durban Light Infantry between 1935 and 1961 when South Africa became a Republic.

A pair of Scottish Arts and Crafts silver napkin rings, with a wonderful planished (hand hammered) surface. The rings are a very pleasing quality and weight, and the condition is excellent. Both rings are clearly hallmarked with small hallmarks on the interior, one is 2003, the other 2006 but they match perfectly. The are also marked "STERLING 925". The rings are accompanied with original box marked "Eric N Smith Goldsmith Designer". Eric Smith was an award winning designer and Jeweller, based in Glasgow for over 50 years until his retirement in 2018. He also completed a project to restore the Glasgow hallmark in 2013, which had not been used since 1963.

A magnificent Highland Light Infantry antique silver kilt sash brooch, used to hold the shoulder plaid in place. The brooch has the monogram HLI inside the Infantry French bugle horn, set on the diamond cut Star of the order of the Thistle, with Imperial King's crown above, and "ASSAYE" scroll and elephant below. This is surrounded by a thistle wreath with 30 battle honours, all earned before 1914, these include: "Carnatic, Hindustan, Sholingur, Mysore, Gibraltar 1780-83, Seringapatam, Assaye, Cape of Good Hope 1806, Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajos' Almaraz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1851-2-3, Egypt 1882, Tel-el-Kebir, Modder River, South Africa 1899-1902". The wreath is surrounded by an engraved scrolling border. The HLI monogram, crown, Assaye scroll and Elephant are all gilded, the gold colour stands out against the silver background, this is a lovely feature. The brooch is made with from 3 sep...

A rare Sampson Mordan silver hatching chick spoon, it has previously been described as a baby feeding spoon, but could also be a castor sugar spoon. The hatching chick will be familiar to Sampson Mordan collectors, it is often seen as a pincushion. The detail and quality are excellent, the chick has open mouth and open eyes, and a gilded interior. The chick has an Albany pattern handle, which was a popular pattern at the turn of the 20th century (also called Queen Anne pattern by Francis Higgins). We believe this is a rare item, we have not seen it described before in the literature. We have noted another similar example that appeared on auction, this one had greenstone eyes, and was described as a baby feeding spoon - but given the gilded interior, it could have been designed for spreading castor sugar - all thoughts welcome. The spoon has clear SM&Co makers mark (this mark used between 1903-1914 by Mordan), and worn but legible hallmarks for Chester 1906 (date letter clear). The spoon also has a clear desig...

A National Rifle Association 1860 Silver trophy medallion, which would have been awarded as a rifle shooting trophy. The obverse has 2 soldiers, the first a British longbow man with dates 1300-1500, the second a rifleman dated 1860, above motto "Sit Perpetuum" - translated "May it last forever". The reverse has a laurel wreath surrounding "The National Rifle Association 1860". The medallion is excellent quality, and in excellent condition, without any engraving, so perhaps it was never presented. The hallmarks are clear, and include makers mark E&Co for Elkington, who are known for their superb quality. The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom is a registered charity with a Royal Charter, whose charitable objectives are to promote and encourage marksmanship throughout the Queen’s dominions in the interest of defence and the permanence of the volunteer and auxiliary forces, naval, military and air. The formal purposes of the charity are to promote the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown, ...

A Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) Football Club sterling silver dish, celebrating the greatest event in the club's history, the winning of "The Double", the Football League and the F.A. Cup Final in the 1960-1961 season. The dish is circular with raised sides which are fluted or scalloped, with engraved crest of the cockerel with spurs standing on a football, above "T.H.F.C.", centrally positioned between the 4 hallmarks. The dish is small, but would be perfect for sweets or nuts. The hallmarks form part of the design, these include Birmingham anchor, Sterling silver lion passant, date letter N for 1962 and makers mark PP Ltd for Poston Products, who worked between 1951 and 1972. Spurs was founded in 1882, the first won the FA cup in 1901. They became the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double in 1960-1961, and collected at least one major trophy in each of the six decades from the 1950s to 2000s – an achievement only matched by Manchester United. The 1960-1961 team was captained b...

A Royal South African Air Force gold sweetheart brooch, dating from World War II. The brooch features the crest of the old Union of South Africa, with 4 quarters for the four provinces, an ox wagon representing Transvaal Province, a woman with an anchor representing Cape Province, two wildebeests representing Natal Province and an orange tree representing the Orange Free State Province. This is surrounded by a laurel wreath, under the Royal crown of King George VI, between the traditional pilots feathered wings. This badge is incorporated into a bar brooch (not added as is usual for sweetheart brooches), the hinge, clasp and pin are also gold. The brooch also has a suspension loop attached to a fine gold chain and gold safety pin, all in perfect condition, this was a good quality brooch when it was made. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold. The Royal South African Air Force provided 35 squadrons during World War II, mostly in North Africa and Italy, with 18000 staff deployed.

A delightful pair of sterling silver rat-tail trefid spoons, coffee spoon size, these spoons were Christmas presents from the Grand Pump Room Hotel in Bath in 1923. The spoons are engraved with the hotel armorial, the stems engraved "Grand Pump Room Hotel, Bath", and the bowls engraved "Xmas 1923". The rat-tails are ribbed, these are perfect replicas of 17th century trefid spoons. The hallmarks are clear on both spoons. "The Grand Pump Room is a historic building in the Abbey Church Yard, Bath, Somerset, England. It is adjacent to the Roman Baths and is named for water that is pumped into the room from the baths' hot springs. Visitors can drink the water or have other refreshments while there. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building since 1950. The building now also houses a restaurant, where afternoon tea can be taken. Music in the restaurant is provided by the Pump Room Trio — the longest established resident ensemble in Europe — or by a pianist. There has been music in the Pump Room since ...

An interesting sterling silver trophy medallion, shaped in the shape of a Zulu shield, presented annually for a shooting competition between the towns of Pietermaritzburg and Durban of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. the medallion has 2 crossed rifles behind a smaller Zulu shield, surrounded by palm fronds with a decorative border, above latin motto and town name scrolls. The shield reads "Inter-Town Shooting presented 1892 for Annual Competition, Mayor of Maritzburg R. Mason Esq, Mayor of Durban B.W. Greenacre Esq", the scrolls have town names "Maritzburg Durban" either side, and the motto reads "Palman Qiu Meruit Ferat", translated "let whoever earns the palm bear it". The medallion has suspension rings so it can be worn as a pendant. The medallion is clearly hallmarked with South African sterling silver hallmarks, STG, SABS standard mark, date letter Gothic M for 1960, and makers mark of Dick King riding a horse for Norman Watson of Durban, South Africa. Watson worked in the 1960's and 1970's. We assume this ...

A antique silver cigarette case, presented to a South African World War I soldier who won the Military Medal for bravery displayed at Menin Road. The inscription reads "Pte. J.J. Cronje, M.M. 4 SAI, From the Ladies of the Riversdale Red + Soc:, In Appreciation of Bravery Displayed at Menin Road, June 10th 1919". Private Cronje was part of the 4th South African Infantry Regiment, part of the larger South African Brigade, best remembered for their role in the Battle of Delville Wood in 1916, but with battle honours for Egypt, Somme, Delville Wood, Arras, Ypres, Menin Road, Cambrai, Mons and Flanders. The 4th SAI was known as the "South African Scottish", as it was raised from the Cape Town Highlanders and Transvaal Scottish Regiments, with additional recruits from Caledonian societies. Riversdale is a small farming town in the Western Cape province, en route between Cape Town and the Garden Route. We assume for the inscription it was Cronje's home town, and that the ladies of the local Red Cross Society arrange...

A beautiful Grenadier Guards Diamond, Pearl and 14 Carat gold sweetheart brooch, perfectly preserved in it's original Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Regent Street box. The brooch features the Grenadier Guard's flaming grenade, the flames portion contains 25 small diamonds set in 14 carat gold, the body of the grenade is a natural pearl, 6 mm in diameter, set in a gold striated bowl. The grenade is mounted on a gold bar brooch, with gold pin and gold safety roller catch, this is a good quality sweetheart brooch, and would have been expensive when new. No hallmarks are present, but the brooch has tested as 14 carat gold. The original box is also beautiful, leather with gold detail, the interior silk and velvet, it reads "By Appointment to H. M. The King, The Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company Ltd, 112 Regent St. London W". The Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co became Limited in 1898, they were amalgamated into Garrard's, The Crown Jeweller's, in 1952. We have tentatively dated this brooch to World War II, but it could be...

A magnificent 950 grade French silver coffee spoon in the Renaissance pattern, that carries the mark of one of France's greatest silversmiths - Cardeilhac. The spoon has a pierced trilobe finial, with a smiling cherub's head in the centre, surrounded by very ornate scrolls. the centre of the stem is decorated with a reverse baluster design, and the stem is rectangular, with 90 degree angles. The bowl is connected to the stem with an ornate rat-tail. Needless to say, the quality and feel of this spoon is fabulous, and it is made of the higher grade 950 silver (as opposed to Sterling which is 925). The Renaissance pattern honours the Renaissance period, and has been described as one of Cardeilhac's most prestigious models. It was created in the Nineteenth century in the Neo-Gothic style. The spoon has 2 hallmarks, both very clear - the first is the Cardeilhac makers mark (crowned medal of Honour cross above crescent, in shaped punch, with initials JC for Jacques Cardeilhac, who worked 1945-1951). The second i...

A set of 6 Liberty & Co. silver cakeforks, in the Medea pattern, and perfectly preserved in their original Liberty silk lined box. The Medea patten features 3 embossed seed pods in Art Nouveau elongated manner, originally designed by Archibald Knox in 1899, it became Liberty's most popular pattern. The forks have 2 tines, with a fatter tine for cutting cake, they are great quality, and a pleasure to hold and use. All 6 forks are clearly hallmarked, with the Liberty and Co triple diamond makers mark. The original silk lined box is in perfect working order, it reads "Liberty London - Paris By Special Appointment", between 2 crowned Royal flags. The Medea pattern was first featured as part of the first Cymric range in the Liberty catalogue of 1899, as one of a set of 6 spoons (along with Adela, Sabra, Sarepta, Egbert and Decos) ("Artists Spoons" by Simon Moore, pages 70-91, a book we highly recommend). Originally described as an "embossed floral handle", it is thought they represent tulip buds or seed pods. The ...

A WW II South African Artillery Regiment 9 carat gold and enamel sweetheart brooch, the detail is lovely. The brooch features a cannon under Royal crown with red enamel, with motto "UBIQUE" (everywhere) in blue enamel above cannon, and "South Africa / Suid Afrika" in blue enamel below. The brooch is clearly hallmarked 9CT for 9 carat gold, the clasp and hinge are also gold but the pin is not, it is stamped "Metal". 14 South African artillery regiments served in North Africa and Italy during the second world war.

A set of 6 sterling silver coffee spoons with matching sugar spoon in original box, with stylised Celtic dogs head finials. The spoons are plain but quite striking with the stylised finial. These spoons have been described as birds and snakes, we prefer the Celtic dog description - all assistance welcome as to the origin of these spoons. All seven spoons are clearly hallmarked, some for 1926 and some for 1927.

An antique sterling silver shoe, we hesitate to call it miniature as it is almost real size, perhaps a child's size, we assume originally intended as a sugar bowl. It is in the traditional form as silver miniature shoes, a replica of a 16th century court shoe, profusely decorated with flowers, leaves and scrolls, with a bow on the front, and shaped heel at the back. it has been well preserved in its original box (silk and velvet, a good quality box), the box reads "Cutler Jeweller Jersey". The shoe is clearly hallmarked, the hallmarks hidden in the decoration but clearly legible, the base of the heel is also hallmarked. JF Cutler was a prestigious Jeweller who operated from 2 Queen's Street (still a jeweller today trading as Goldsmiths), he is known to have been there between 1900 and 1920.

A limited edition (no. 12 of 100) silver gilt Commemorative Coronation or Sovereign's orb, made to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981, commissioned for a Royal Family event, and made by leading silversmith Christopher Lawrence. The textured gilt orb is surmounted by the cross, and the orb is decorated with the armorials of Charles and Diana, the orb rests on a baluster support mounted on a polished green marble base, with felt base. The orb opens in half on 2 hinges to reveal back to back ovals on blue and red backgrounds with their family crests, beneath letters C and D, surrounded by cast gilt roses and silver leaves. The cross rises and falls slightly to open and close the globes. The interior circular frame is clearly hallmarked, and the interior of one globe is stamped "12/100". Christopher Lawrence is one of the 50 leading silversmiths in the book "Designer British Silver 1930-1985" by Andrew and Styles, in fact his work is featured on the main cover of the book (Reed Warbler Candelabra)...

A RFC (Royal Flying Corps) 9 carat gold pilot's wing sweetheart brooch, dating back to the Great War (World War I). The RFC logo between two feathered wings is mounted on a slender bar (also 9 carat gold), which is clearly hallmarked J.F for James Fenton of Birmingham, and 9CT for nine carat gold. The hinge and clasp are also gold, the pin is not. This brooch also has a suspension ring with gold chain and gold safety pin, to prevent the brooch being lost. This brooch is quite small and light, but still a rare and lovely item. The RFC was established in 1912, and in 1918 it was merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force (RAF), so only existed for 6 years. 11 RFC members received the Victoria Cross during the War, mortality rates for pilots was extremely high.

An Edwardian replica of a mote skimmer spoon, made by the leading firm Elkington. The oval spoon bowl has a pierced pattern of foliated scrolls and holes, the rounded handle is attached to the bowl with a rat-tail, the finial is a three sided triangular spearhead, which is very sharp. This spoon is excellent quality, as you would expect from Elkington, it has a lovely feel in the hand. It is teaspoon sized, most mote spoons were longer. Mote spoons originated in the early 18th century, and were used to skim off floating particles of tea leaves and motes (tea dust) from a cup of tea (Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware, page 217). The long thin handle with sharpened point was used to clear the spout of a teapot (when spouts were still straight) where tea leaves clogged it (remember tea leaves were coarser then than we are used to today). In the Plate Offences Act of 1738 these spoons were called tea strainers, but mote spoon or skimmer is the more popular description. There has been controversy over t...

A 9 Carat gold World War II Transvaal Scottish Volunteers Regiment Sweetheart brooch, with motto " Alba nam Buadh (Scotland, Home of the Virtues), in full working order. The brooch is lovely quality, with 2 tones of gold (yellow and red), set on a bar brooch. The back of the brooch is engraved "MOIRA 12/6/42", and both the brooch and the clasp are clearly hallmarked 9CT for nine carat gold. The Transvaal Scottish Regiment was established by John Murray, 7th Earl of Atholl, in 1902 at the end of the Anglo Boer War, it still exists today. During World War 2 when this brooch was presented, the regiment fought mostly in North and East Africa, notably at El Alamein.