Silver(?) Bride’s Basket

JB has admired a (now tarnished) silver handled basket with a clear glass lining since she was a kid. She calls it her grandmother’s German Silver Bride’s Basket. It is a filigreed reticulated silver metal object with a fancy pierced basket handle, a flaring dramatic profile, and artistic classical-style silhouettes of plaques of flowers and birds; a few fancy-looking female profiles in repoussé are in the roundels too. JB and I sent numerous emails to each other about researching the KIND of silver involved. I suspected it was sterling because of the depth of the tarnish, and she thought, because she could not find a mark, that it was silver plate. I think she is right, although on an intricate piece like this it is hard to find a hallmark. 

I suggest it is NOT German Silver, because despite the name, German Silver has NO silver content: it is 60% copper, 20% zinc, 20% nickel and some lead and tin. It is malleable like sterling (which indeed has a silver content at .925 parts silver) but German Silver is an alloy developed in the early 19^th century to resemble pricey sterling. And because there is in fact no silver in German Silver, it does not tarnish. (A note: I found many scammers wanting to sell troy ounces of German Silver online in these unstable economic times, stating that the chunk of this non-silver metal for sale for investment purposes is .999% fine. I found one set advertised for $2,000! If it is worth $30 for an ingot I would be surprised.) Again, sterling silver is .925 parts silver over base metals, and coin silver is .800 parts silver over base metals. As a bargain facsimile, German silver was invented in France and then refined in Germany as a lookalike to silver. It is still used today, especially in costume jewelry. And by the way: some people are allergic to the nickel content in German Silver and should not wear it!

Silver has different names depending on the degree of content of the inert metal in its composition. Silver is one of the Noble Metals along with gold and platinum, because it exhibits no chemical reactivity, is non-rustable, resists oxidation, corrosion, acid, and is valued as a “hard asset.” It is legal tender in many world cultures and has been for roughly 5,000 years.

The Bride’s Basket was given as a gift as early as 1870. First made of fine sterling silver 1870-1880, it was used for the ceremonial procession of the flower girl down the aisle, filled with petals, and treasured later as a centerpiece or cabinet ornament. JB’s piece dates from the later period of this Bride’s Basket tradition, as it has a Deco (1910-20) influence in its design. It is not handmade, but cast in silver plate, and inset with a glass liner. As mass production led to more and more specialized objects for the home and table at the end of the 19^th century and beginning of the 20^th century, brides baskets were no longer expensive sterling, but began to be available to the middle class in department stores, where to maintain the flashiness and heft they were fabricated in silver plate or German Silver filled with custom glass liners. Glass manufacturers made the inserts, and metal manufacturers made the baskets, and some inserts were highly ornate and frilly. The glass could be edged, fluted, curled, flounced, colored, and painted with enameling of cupids, birds and flowers. JB’s basket has a handle which is superfluous, as her basket was used for trinkets and wedding favors. 

Now the most interesting part of the basket story: Why was it important that such a ritual object was made of silver for over 50 years? Many cultures use gold and silver metal as currency, and any association with monetary value increases the value of the object made from these metals. Bride’s Baskets are always silver. Markers of cultural importance, such as a silver object, meant the gift is special, related to real value, and likely expensive to purchase and maintain. A gift of a Bride’s Basket in sterling was a sacrifice. Cultures that use gold and silver currency place a high value on these metals for a few other reasons, but it is their “richness” in perception that made them the finest tableware and gifts. Bride’s Baskets did not have a daily use, making them even more coveted by young brides!

The value of the 1910 bride’s basket, marketed likely to a humbler bride, is $200.