The History of Cutlery began with the first man that started to make his own cutting tools with chipped rock, used mostly as a defence weapon and for hunting. So, cutlery is a PRE-HISTORIC art.
After the Invasion of Gallia (France) by the Romans, the first industry of blades for knives, swords, spears, axes, etc. is born.
In the 13th Century, Italians in Milan, Florence and Venice also help develop this industry with the production of weapons, which in the 16th Century would give way to the production of table cutlery.
The first knives made of iron were also used initially as a weapon for personal defence. Only in the 12th Century did they appear as a table utensil, that people wore hung from their waist, and used to eat wherever they went. These first knives were all initially with a pointed blade and the handles were made of wood, bone, ivory, precious metals, and etc. depending on the wealth of the owner. The knife was used not only to cut food, but also to eat it.
The table fork appears only by the end of the 16th Century, with a form smaller than it has today and with only two teeth. Only some centuries later did it take on the form we know today.
The spoon appears at the same time as the knife in Prehistoric time, and its form seems to have originated from shells.
Cutlery used to eat fish appears in the 19th Century and other items follow it.
Cutlery exhibitions: 1798 marks the first exhibition in France; the first universal exhibition is in London in 1851, and in 1884 there is an exhibition in the Vila Flor Palace, Guimarães, organized by the Martins Sarmento Society.
The Steel After chipped rock, seashells were used first as shovels and then also as spoons, after this, bones and animal horns were used. Only at the end of the Neolithic period, more than 2 thousand years before our era, copper appears in Europe with the arrival of the Celts. Copper is followed by bronze, brought by the Phoenicians, whose origin is thought to be Asian. Only very close to our era, near the 10th Century AC., does iron appear which is thought to be also from the orient and brought to us by the Hellenes. The appearance of steel happens around the 10th and 11th Centuries, time when it starts to be produced in England and Germany, but it isn’t yet stainless steel.
Stainless steel was discovered by accident, in 1913, by the British metalworker Harry Brearley. This metalworker did tests with alloys of steel that could be used in the making of barrels for rifles. Later, he discovered that, while the majority of the alloys he rejected had rusted, the same did not happen to an alloy that contained 14% chromium. Common steel rusted because it reacted to the oxygen in the air, producing reddish iron oxides.In Brearley’s alloy, the chromium formed a similar barrier, protecting the metal from oxidation.Today, a great diversity of steel is produced. One of the most common alloys contains 18% chromium and 8% to 10% nickel, and so it is known as 18/10.
After the Invasion of Gallia (France) by the Romans, the first industry of blades for knives, swords, spears, axes, etc. is born.
In the 13th Century, Italians in Milan, Florence and Venice also help develop this industry with the production of weapons, which in the 16th Century would give way to the production of table cutlery.
The first knives made of iron were also used initially as a weapon for personal defence. Only in the 12th Century did they appear as a table utensil, that people wore hung from their waist, and used to eat wherever they went. These first knives were all initially with a pointed blade and the handles were made of wood, bone, ivory, precious metals, and etc. depending on the wealth of the owner. The knife was used not only to cut food, but also to eat it.
The table fork appears only by the end of the 16th Century, with a form smaller than it has today and with only two teeth. Only some centuries later did it take on the form we know today.
The spoon appears at the same time as the knife in Prehistoric time, and its form seems to have originated from shells.
Cutlery used to eat fish appears in the 19th Century and other items follow it.
Cutlery exhibitions: 1798 marks the first exhibition in France; the first universal exhibition is in London in 1851, and in 1884 there is an exhibition in the Vila Flor Palace, Guimarães, organized by the Martins Sarmento Society.
The Steel After chipped rock, seashells were used first as shovels and then also as spoons, after this, bones and animal horns were used. Only at the end of the Neolithic period, more than 2 thousand years before our era, copper appears in Europe with the arrival of the Celts. Copper is followed by bronze, brought by the Phoenicians, whose origin is thought to be Asian. Only very close to our era, near the 10th Century AC., does iron appear which is thought to be also from the orient and brought to us by the Hellenes. The appearance of steel happens around the 10th and 11th Centuries, time when it starts to be produced in England and Germany, but it isn’t yet stainless steel.
Stainless steel was discovered by accident, in 1913, by the British metalworker Harry Brearley. This metalworker did tests with alloys of steel that could be used in the making of barrels for rifles. Later, he discovered that, while the majority of the alloys he rejected had rusted, the same did not happen to an alloy that contained 14% chromium. Common steel rusted because it reacted to the oxygen in the air, producing reddish iron oxides.In Brearley’s alloy, the chromium formed a similar barrier, protecting the metal from oxidation.Today, a great diversity of steel is produced. One of the most common alloys contains 18% chromium and 8% to 10% nickel, and so it is known as 18/10.
Silver Silvarware, Flatware, Cutlery are also made in Silver. Depending on the quality of the silver and where the flatware is manufacture is a key point on the quality of the silver as well. Silver Flatware is the most elegant flatware of them all. It is an investiment that will be past thru generations to come. Silver Flatware make one of the best Wedding gifts and Anniversary gifts.