Ornate floral sterling silver sugar tongs! These delicate antique sterling sugar tongs have an ornate flower design twining down each side, culminating into a three prong claw with a flower & leaf motif. Never monogrammed.
Sugar tongs were introduced in the 1690's and resembled steel ember tongs. A typical patterns was made with a wide horseshoe-shaped bow of springy silver linking a pair of slender round arms with wide, escallop-shell grips. The arms might be double or treble knopped at the ends and centre, but the whole design was essentially delicate, intended for lifting the tiny fragments of sugar suited to the small tea-cups of the period. (Small Antique Silverware)
Tongs come in various sizes and shapes, from the tiny bonbon tongs to extra large sandwich tongs and asparagus tongs. Very old, scissor-shaped tongs were called sugar nips and were used for nipping off a pice from a large lump of sugar.
This pair of sugar tongs are marked STERLING in the inner curve of the tongs as shown. (pattern and maker unknown) These sterling silver sugar tongs measure 3.75" in length and weigh 12 grams. Excellent condition!
A1405 - Antique Sterling Silver SUGAR TONGS
$75.00 First Class Mail
