Four Piece Coffee and Tea Service by Tiffany & Co.

Description

American four piece coffee and tea service by Tiffany & Co. in sterling silver with ebony handles 72.5 oz, circa … more American four piece coffee and tea service by Tiffany & Co. in sterling silver with ebony handles 72.5 oz, circa 1900.

The Tiffany legacy started with Charles Lewis Tiffany founded a small dry-goods and stationary store in New York. This shop would later grow into the famous high-end jewelry and housewares business known as Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany began selling silverware in 1847, most of which was produced in Europe. Shortly thereafter, German-trained designer Gustav Herter was hired to execute Tiffany products in New York, and in 1851, renowned American silversmith Edward C. Moore, Jr. was added to the firm.

While many silver companies lowered their standards with the adoption of mass-production plating techniques in the 1850s, Tiffany & Co. maintained the highest level of craftsmanship and continued to hire artisans to create its pieces. Tiffany was also the first American company to adhere to the .925 British standard for silver purity. This would ultimately become the U.S. sterling-silver standard, in part because Tiffany personally lobbied members of Congress to make it so.

Traditionally, American-made silver closely followed established styles in Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands by simply reviving existing designs, whether Empire, Egyptian, Greek, or Rococo. By 1870, though, Moore had become the Tiffany’s chief designer and president, and he immediately started his own groundbreaking designs. Many are still produced today.

Dimensions: (Coffee Pot) 9"H x 9"W x 6"D; (Sugar) 4.5"H x 5.5" dia; (Creamer) 3.5"H x 6.5"W x 5"D; (Kettle) 5"H x 10"W x 6"D less