Elegant antique French 1819-1838 hallmarked sterling silver sugar tongs with ornate pierced or reticulated floral & foliate decoration and wonderful condition! One of three elegant old French sterling silver sugar tongs that we're adding this week, each in a distinctly unique style and all as elegant as can be. This one the oldest of the three with hallmarks dating it between 1819-1838. Beautifully ornate with the long stems of reticulated leaves & flowers! Something that doesn't immediately come to mind when thinking of a fine antique sterling silver tea & coffee set but, as you can imagine, these are pretty much a must have if you're using cubes in your sugar caddy. Nothing quite so elegant as the details, right? This one bears the French Michel Ange or Michelangelo and Diana hallmarks, the tiny number "1" within those marks means it's in .950 silver, 95% pure and higher than the .925 standard for "sterling" silver. The silversmith mark is easily legible, "AV" with a star above and below but I've not found it in any of my references so far. Subtle enough to fit into a variety of styles or patterns, don't miss them.
Very good condition, age considered. There appears to be an old silver solder to one side, right near where the reticulated portions meets the curved upper end but it seems as solid as can be. See pictures for measurements and weight.
