Vintage & Antique Christening Silver January 18 2015

Silver is a classic Christening gift and has been gifted to babies and children for centuries. Often given by godparents and friends of the family, silver was originally given as a nest egg as it retains its value. The gift of silver was intended to fund a project later in life.

 During the Tudor period it was very fashionable to give apostle spoons as gifts in wealthier families. The 12 silver spoons were decorated with one apostle to the end of each spoon. Those from even wealthier families would receive a additional spoon known as the master spoon, which was decorated with a figure of Jesus. The phrase, “Born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” is thought to have originated from the custom of giving spoons as a christening gift as only wealthy children would be gifted silver spoons.

The Victorians continued the tradition of gifting silver at the Christening of a child but widened the Christening gift haul to include silver napkin rings, mugs, jewel boxes and quite frankly anything beautiful and silver.

A silver Christening gift remains to be a popular choice that can become a family heirloom that will be treasured for many generations. It is becoming increasingly popular to gift vintage and antique silver as Christening gifts. Vintage and antique silverware can be more personal as pieces can be more desirable for being unique. Many pieces are already highly collectable making them a very secure investment for the future.