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Sheffield
Plate
The search for a
silver substitute was prompted by the increasing prosperity of the
18thC middle classes and led to the invention of Sheffield Plate by
Thomas Boulsover c.1743. The new material was made by fusing a sheet
of sterling silver to an ingot of copper in a furnace. The resulting
material was then rolled or hammered into a sheet and made up into
both decorative and practical objects, using the power of the new
technologies of the time.
The "double
sandwich" form of Sheffield Plate was developed around 1770. Used
for pieces such as bowls and mugs that had a visible interior , it
consisted of a sheet of silver each side of a piece of copper; early
manufacturers applied a film of solder over the bare edge of copper
although such pieces are very rare. Later on, borders were applied
with a U-shaped section of silver wire to conceal the copper which
can be felt as a lip on the underside.
From the end of the 18thC the borders of Sheffield Plate pieces
became increasingly ornamental, more so than on sterling silver
wares, probably because they could be produced far less expensively
than solid silver borders. Borders should be carefully examined for
wear. A little copper showing is generally considered attractive,
but more than that is not. The decoration of Sheffield Plate is
always flat-chased, and the pattern should be visible on the
underside of the piece. Engraving is not a feature of Sheffield
Plate (except for coats of arms), as it would have meant cutting
through to the copper base.
In early pieces the
copper showed through where coats of arms were engraved, but from
the end of the 18thC a more heavily plated disc, which could take
the engraving, was let into the piece. In the Regency period this
method was superseded by letting in a pure silver oblong; this can
be easily seen as the rest of the object has a surface of sterling
standard (92.5%), it oxidizes at a different rate from the pure
silver part.
Most pieces of Sheffield Plate hollow ware, such as candlesticks and
coffeepots, have a visible seam. If no seam is visible, the article
has either been re-plated and the seam covered up in the process, or
it is not Sheffield Plate. Some articles have a liner - for example,
urns. Once this is removed, a dull lead-ish color, caused by tin,
should be visible on the inside. A silver color inside indicates
re-plating.
Much of Sheffield Plate is unmarked although some makers used a
symbol. Some early 19thC Sheffield Plate had marks that resembled
those used on sterling silver. A piece with "Sheffield Plate"
stamped on it is electroplate made in Sheffield since the 19thC,
rather than genuine Sheffield Plate.
The end of
Sheffield Plate was signified by the discovery of electroplating in
the 1840's. By the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851 almost no
Sheffield Plate was exhibited , electroplate being the new fashion..
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Electroplate
This method of plating silver was used from c.1840 and gradually
replaced Sheffield Plate, which after the Great Exhibition of 1851
became increasingly rare. Electroplating creates a coating of pure
silver which is whiter and harsher in appearance than the softer
glow of Sheffield Plate. The process involves covering one metal
with a thin layer of silver by electro-deposition. The laws of
electrolytic deposition had been formulated by Faraday as early as
1833 and the process was patented by the Elkington company of
Birmingham in the mid 19thC.
In 1836 G.R. Elkington applied for a number of patents for "an
improved method of gilding copper, brass, and other metals or alloys
of metals" by electrolysis and in 1840 he took out a patent for a
new process of depositing silver by electrolysis, a discovery which
he had made in collaboration with John Wright, following work he had
carried out for the London maker Benjamin Smith.
The base metal was initially copper, subsequently nickel was used,
hence the term EPNS (Electro-Plated Nickel Silver). Britannia Metal
, an alloy of tin, copper, antimony and zinc is quite often found
bearing the stamp EPBM.
Styles followed those that were most popular in silver. The most
popular electroplated items are cake baskets, candlesticks and
entree dishes. Tea sets are becoming increasingly popular. Being far
less expensive even than Sheffield Plate, electroplated wares are
not collected for their intrinsic worth but as inexpensive silver-
style items. Electroplated flatware services provide the only
alternative to silver, as it proved impossible to make flatware in
Sheffield Plate without a large ugly seam. Flatware patterns tended
to follow the styles of their Sterling counterparts.
Unlike Sheffield Plate, most electroplate has makers' marks and
indications of quality such as "A1" "EP" or "EPNS" Some silversmiths
made both electroplate and Sterling silver - for example, James
Dixon & Sons, Elkington, and Walker & Hall. Although the marks used
were similar on both their silver and their electroplates, the marks
are applied in a noticeably different way.
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