Indian 3 Piece Tea Service

[MGArgent]

Hi Forum,

I haven't seen a ton of examples of Indian silver on this site, so I thought I would post some images of what I believe to be a 3 piece tea service from India.

Fineness: All 3 pieces are stamped "SILVER" on the bottom with no other markings. I took several specific gravity measurements of the sugar bowl and the results were between 10.2 and 10.3 which indicates the set should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%-90% solid silver.

Location: The floral pattern seems to be common to the Kutch region of India, so this may have been where the set was made.

Date: I came across a source that stated the vast majority of Indian silver prior to the 20th century was unmarked, so this set was likely made in the 20th century, possibly the second half.

If anyone can provide further details to help to narrow down the location, date, etc. the information would be welcome.

[MGArgent]

Oops! I just realized I accidentally posted this in the middle eastern section. If an administrator sees this, please move this to the Asian section. Thanks.

[MGArgent]

I came across another tea service on the internet that is very similar to the one I posted above:

• Identical floral/foliage finial
• Identical hinge on teapot lid
• Marked "SILVER"
• Similar style elements:
  • floral/foliage band
  • handle on milk jug
  • four-footed design
  • bulbous form

This second set is described as having been received in India in 1995 and the box is branded Bhatter SIlversmiths Ltd. of New Delhi (established 1994).

(admin edit - see Posting Requirements )

This provides strong support that the above set was indeed made in India during the second half of the 20th century.