Tiffany & Co. & Gorham Sterling Silver Olive Tongs in Medallion Pattern

Rare Tiffany & Co. and Gorham sterling silver olive tongs in the celebrated Medallion pattern from the mid-19th century. It measures 5 5/8'' in length by 1 1/4'' in width and bears hallmarks as shown.

The legendary Tiffany brand was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young in Connecticut as a "stationery and fancy goods emporium," with the help of Charles Tiffany's father who financed the store for only $1,000 with profits from a cotton mill. Tiffany & Co. soon became a highly regarded brand for jewelry, gemstones, and silver. In 1845, Tiffany was a pioneer when it launched the Blue Book, which at the time was the first mail-order catalog to be distributed in the US. In 1878, Tiffany won the gold medal for jewelry and a grand prize for silverware at the Paris World Fair Exposition. The luxury brand’s enduring legacy remains vibrant to this day.

During the heyday of American silver manufacturing–approximately 1850 to 1940–Gorham was one of the most influential. The White House has used Gorham silver services during many administrations. Mary Todd Lincoln purchased an impressive tea and flatware service for use in the White House in 1859. Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant asked Gorham to commemorate the country's one-hundredth anniversary with a spectacular Century Vase that contained over 2,000 oz (57,000 g) of sterling silver, and in 1899, it produced a grand "loving cup" composed of 70,000 dimes was designed for Admiral George Dewey. Colonel Henry Jewett Furber placed the largest single commission Gorham ever received for what became known as the famous Furber service. The opulent 740-piece service represents Victorian era dining at its most elaborate. The monumental silver and parcel-gilt "Neptune" epergne made for Furber as part of this service was displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Gorham artisans also sculpted the famous monument of George Washington in the Capitol's Rotunda.

In his book "Gorham Silver," Charles H. Carpenter evokes George Wilkinson, who was born and trained in England, prior to moving to the United States in 1854, where he spent the majority of his career at Gorham. He notes that, while the Medallion pattern was initially for flatware, hollowware designs quickly followed, "particularly in tea and coffee services." 

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