Antique Silver • American Style

The beautiful Chantilly pattern by Gorham Mfg. Co., first issued in 1895

Typical mid-20th century Gorham hallmark

America was the world leader in fine silver production from 1850 to 1950, in no small part due to Gorham silver. Gorham Manufacturing Company was founded by Jabez Gorham of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1831. The business was expanded by his son John Gorham in later years. Gorham employed the best of French and English silver techniques of the time, hired outstanding designers from America and abroad, and revolutionized the silver manufacturing process. More importantly, Gorham was active in bringing to market new patterns on a regular basis, unlike the French and English who offered a small selection of patterns with little new introductions. 

In 1886 a commentator wrote in the London Magazine of Art:

If we go to one of the first London silversmiths and ask for spoons and forks, we are met at once with the smiling query. "Yes, Sir; fiddle or old English?" Fiddle or old English! If we decline both those chaste designs we are assured that there is still a large selection of patterns remaining. The "Lily", the "Beaded", "King's Pattern", and "Queen's Pattern." There perforce, our choice must end....Mark the difference, in this one article, between the supine conservatism of the English manufacturers and the alertness and constant progress of the American maker. For instance [Gorham] would not be satisfied unless it produced every year or two new patterns, nearly all of which are beautiful, and of which they will produce a complete service of all articles for table use from a salt-spoon to a soup ladle.

In 1893 a French observer was surprised by America's "remarkable fertility in the variety of its patterns for table services." Of the flatware patterns designed by F. A. Heller (1839–1904) for Gorham he wrote "we have no idea of the richness of ornamentation of these services, and of the amount of talent expended by him in the engraving of the dies which he has made on the other side of the Atlantic."

Gorham ad from 1896

Over the past 180 years, Gorham has made some of the most popular dinner service patterns. According to Replacements Ltd., Gorham has six of the top twenty patterns on their most requested list: Chantilly (first produced in 1895), Fairfax (1900), Strasbourg (1897), Etruscan (1913), Buttercup (1899) and Rondo (1951).

We have a fine selection of estate silver at Vintages, with quite a few Gorham pieces available. One gorgeous offering is this tea set made back in 1907.

Gorham sterling silver tea set available from Vintages ($2250.00 for the set)

Check out our silver items on our Trocadero antique sales site, or stop in the shop to view our entire collection.

Cindy Teyro: Whimsical Character Planters, Bowls and Stems from the Teyros Collection

Hand sculpted stem bowls from the Teyros Collection

Cindy Teyro hand sculpts these whimsical character pieces in her Southern California studio. Each bowl, planter and vase is hand formed without the use of molds, so each whimsical piece is created one at a time. The planters, vases and goblets are formed into heads with faces that are given individual personalities. They are then embellished with flowers, leaves and various flying critters

After a twenty year career as a doll designer specializing in product development, Cindy decided it was time for a new adventure. While playing in clay for several weeks, her style of table ware art emerged ... Alice in Wonderland meets Dr. Seuss. Inspirations have come from everywhere. Cindy's  philosophy is very simple: Love what you do, do what you love and trust your crazy ideas. 

We have a quite a few planters, bowls and stems from the Teyros Collection in our shop, that are also available online. Prices range from $75 to $125 each, depending on size and complexity. Cindy has named all of her pieces - Edward, Stella, Poppy Laurel, Mini Bea, ... Each piece is signed and numbered, as these are limited editions with a total of 100 pieces to be made of each design. Even though there will be a hundred Edwards, each hand made stem will be different in shape, color and detail.

Sunny Flower and Poppy Laurel planters

Moonette planter and Mini Bea stem bowl

Ophelia Rose planter

All Natural Dried Botanicals and Exotic Flowers

Garden Route takes an all-natural approach to home decór. Their natural and exotic botanical bags are hand-staged in America with the world's finest preserved and dried botanicals. Designed to create a stunning, decorative focal point with a soft breeze of natural fragrances. The quality of the materials ensures long-lasting, vibrantly natural products that will be enjoyed for many years to come. 

Botanical blends of potpourri are priced at $20.95 per bag. Bags of exotic dried flowers range from $12.95 to $19.95. Available in our Los Gatos shop.

 

Original Folk Art Reycled Metal Banks by Aaron Voigt

Aaron Voigt started working in his father's home shop at an early age. By his teenage years he was making furniture and elaborate art pieces. Since then he has graduated to creating his own unique designs. In Aaron's own words:

I find my current materials of choice in a city full of industrial, electronic and military manufacturing history. With items sourced from such diverse products as old manufacturing machines, aircraft, cars, household fixtures and who knows what, my robots come alive with the history of the donor machine parts. ... My parts are found hiding out in junk yards, old business, yard sales, friends garages and swap meets. The endless hunt for these parts brings me to some very interesting places full of even more interesting people all the time.

We have some of Voigt's folk art metal banks. Wonderful. Whimsical. A perfect place for all those coins you get in change.

These banks are available in our online shop and in our Los Gatos shop as well. The small size that we have in stock is $115.00 each.

Makin' Time Computer Art Clocks

These High-Tech Computer Art Clocks are individually handcrafted timepieces. Many of these one-of-a-kind clocks incorporate a hard drive platter, a CD or a DVD as the clock face and an embellished circuit board as the background. Other models are crafted from pocket or mini-CDs, floppy disks, drive housings, video laser disks or main frame drive platters. Each clock offers a whimsical view of our rapidly changing technological world, preserving it as art rather than sending it to a landfill. In addition to their functionality, they help contribute to the overall recycling effort by utilizing obsolete, discarded or surplus computer components.

Carol Baum has been creating computer art clocks for many years. The first one was a going away gift for a retiring chief engineer at a video production studio. At the urging of friends, she started Makin’ Time Computer Art Clocks in Boulder, Colorado. Baum is self taught, dabbling in mixed media art since childhood. Her outside-the-box creativity and personal values help care for the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling made Makin’ Time a perfect venture.

Computer Art Clock with Built-in Stand priced at $49.95

At Vintages we now have these folk art clocks in stock and ready for you online or in the shop. Prices range from $39.95 to $66.95, depending on the complexity of the clock design.

Card Holders & Thank You Cards from Ian Nicholas

Ian Nicholas, a designer and artist from Atlanta, Georgia, has a wonderful line of fantasy-inspired cards and accessories. We are offering his card holders - perfect for business cards, driver's licenses or credit cards - and some wonderful bird "thank you" notes. Check these out!

Card holders ($4.95 each)

Thank You note cards ($6.95 for 6 cards)

A companion piece to the card holders are these luggage tags with vintage images made by Susan. 

Luggage Tags ($5.00 each)

Eco-friendly Decorative Accessories

There are some materials that have heart and soul. It can be the paint, the texture or maybe the history that is carried on. The intrinsic beauty of these materials is what inspired Margaret Taylor to begin creating. Working beside her father on house projects was her training ground. Through those experiences Margaret gained the necessary knowledge, as well as the belief that she could make anything. Her creations, which began as a hobby, have evolved into a business (that) began with picture frames and birdhouses and has now expanded to include garden art, mirrors and furniture.

Margaret Taylor

These wonderful hand crafted pieces are all made in the little town of Chamblee, GA. The pieces of folk art that we have in Vintages are made from salvaged bead board and antique ceiling tin, with a few vintage doo-dads added to complete the image. They are playful and unique, good for the environment because they use reclaimed materials, good for the economy since they are made in the USA and are good for you because they will warm your heart with a smile. 

This folk art bird is from a series of delightful handmade "Fowl Folks" that can either hang on the wall or sit on a table. Measures about 12" tall. ($59.95)

Old tin ceiling tiles cover reclaimed barn wood to create this Fleur d'Lys. These lily flowers symbolize a multitude of things, but the association with the French monarchy and Paris is most noteworthy. It is also a symbol of recovery in post-Katrina New Orleans. Measures about 19" tall. ($115.00)

What Valentine wouldn't love this large red heart? Created from old bead board and vintage hardware, these hearts are about 22" tall and would make a BIG statement. ($115.00)

A bit smaller that their big red brethren above, these "Junk Hearts" are about 12" tall and come in assorted colors. ($59.95)

Skimmer Dragonflies made from old rusted tin and fence parts. ($59.95)

Skipper Butterflies made from old rusted tin and fence parts. ($59.95)