Arthur Stone 12 Sterling Silver Thistle Decorated Parfait Spoons, Gardner, MA, 1915 - c. 1940

These 12 elegant spoons have wonderful, slender handles with beautifully engraved and chased scenes of thistle, an uncommon floral design by Stone. The graceful curves and elongated bowls are quite lovely. This form is commonly referred to as parfait or ice tea spoons.

This set has two dates, first from the Stone shop period and the second from the Associates period after Arthur Stone sold the shop to Henry Heywood in 1937. At the beginning of Stone Associates, the same silversmiths (such as Charles Brown) continued to work there and mark their pieces with their initials as before. This changed at some point, and most of the silver from the Associate's shop does not bear the maker's initial. We have not found any records documenting when this change occurred, but we believe it relates to the Second World War and changes in the availability of both labor and silver. 

Eight spoons are marked with an 'E' for George C. Erickson (honored as a Master Craftsman by the Boston Society of Arts & Crafts). Erickson worked for Stone from 1915-1932. 

Four are marked with a 'B' for Charles W. Brown (honored as a Medalist by the Boston Society of Arts & Crafts), and Brown's working dates are 1912-1937. He then continued working for Stone Associates. These spoons are stamped with the Stone Associates mark, which dates them to 1937 - c. 1940. (1)

For another example of this pattern, see the tea strainer pictured in Chickering (see endnote) on page 132.

These wonderful spoons are marked with Stone's trademark (or the Associates' trademark), the maker's initial and 'STERLING.' They measure 7.75 inches long, weigh a combined 11.65 troy ounces and are in good antique condition with varying amounts of wear to chased decoration. 

Endnotes:

1. Elenita C. Chickering, Arthur J. Stone 1847-1938: Designer and Silversmith, (Boston: the Boston Athenaeum, 1994), pp. 180-185.