Antique silver flatware and cutlery has a long and interesting history, but it was only by the late 1700s that fruit knives and forks, sometimes referred to as dessert knives and forks or dessert eaters, started to be made.
These dessert knives and forks were specifically made for eating cheese or fruit courses or some of the other confections that were becoming popular. The handles were usually made of silver, mother of pearl, bone or stained ivory and were normally made separately to the main flatware service.
Sometimes the knives and forks were covered in gold so the fruit acids wouldn’t tarnish the silver. Occasionally larger sets are found with fruit serving items, nut picks, nut crackers and grape scissors and other accoutrements.
The fashion for fruit knives and forks probably reached its zenith in the latter part of the nineteenth century but remain popular today and make a very elegant and useful addition to the dining table.
At William Walter Antiques we have a fine selection of fruit knives and forks or dessert eaters in various patterns ranging from the plain to the extremely exotic including at this present time a very fine and impressive silver gilt service for eighteen by Martin Hall and Company from 1874 with all manner of serving implements.
