Though today ‘cutlery’ refers to knives, forks and spoons in general, historically, it was only the knife blade (made of steel) that was actually made by a ‘cutler’. Knife handles, spoons and forks, together with servers and other implements of the table made by silversmiths, are known rather as ‘flatware’, the production of which was often a family business.

Decoration of flatware was produced mainly by the die-stamping method, where silver ‘blanks’ are pressed between two steel dies or moulds previously carved with the imprint of the design. The dies were expensive to produce and intended for mass-production. King’s Shape was one of the most popular patterns of all, dating from the early 19th century, and still used today. It is distinguished by an hourglass-shaped handle with a shell motif.