Small Sterling Silver Fork and Spoon Salad Service [SOLD]

Navajo silversmiths began to make silver utensils around 1880. The creation of forks and spoons was a new way for artists to expand their selection of work to the traders and tourists. Some items, like souvenir spoons, were created solely as tourist items, but there was also an early market for utilitarian pieces. This lovely, small salad set dates from the mid-twentieth century and follows the tradition of the creation of pieces made to be used.

The fork and spoon are stamped in a way that makes them a matched set. The handles have matching pieces of sky-blue turquoise. The stamp-work is finely executed on the handle as well as on the surface of the bowls. There is a stamped hallmark but we were unable to link the hallmark to an artist.

Condition: excellent condition

Recommended Reading: Navajo Spoons: Indian Artistry and the Souvenir Trade, 1880s-1940s by Cindra Kline

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Colorado