Gorham Antique Sterling Silver Tea Ball, Providence, RI, 1884

Putting so much work into creating this lovely tea ball is indicative of how expensive tea was and how important the afternoon tea ritual was. A lobed, domed cover has an applied foliate device with an attached chain for managing the tea ball. Matching lobing decorates the bottom body, which is intricately pierced with exotic foliate designs.

This lovely and rare tea ball Is marked with Gorham's trademark and 'STERLING/ 20' and with the 'Q' date mark for 1884. It measures just shy of 2.5 inches long, weighs 1.45 troy ounces, and is in excellent antique condition.

Gorham Archives image courtesy of the John Hay Library, Brown University.