A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
THE WHAT IS? SILVER DICTIONARY



SUGAR TONGS
TEA TONGS
SUGAR NIPS

The silver tea tongs (called also silver sugar tongs or silver sugar nips) were used for lifting sugar pieces added to tea cups. About 1720 this artefacts assumed a scissors shape, succeeded after 1770 by more functional bow type tongs.



sugar tongs - tea tongs - sugar nips




The basic forms in which they were made are:
- fire tongs, of two arms joined at one end by a pivot
- scissors tongs, of two arms pivoting at the centre, in the form of a pair of scissors (tea tongs or sugar nips)
- bow tongs, of one piece of metal bent in U-shape forming two spring arms
The lenght of the sugar tongs ranges from 10 to 15 cm. and the arms are decorated in various styles (embossing, engraving, chasing, pierced work or bright cut)

andiron sugar tongs: London c. 1720 sugar tongs: Vienna 1847 sugar tongs: Austria 1837
tea tongs silversmith William Harrison I, about 1758 silver tea tongs
silver sugar tongs London 1812



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