Signs of the Times

Nothing dates itself like the trendy and the political: A map or globe should show the territorial lines of the day. Globe stands reflect the style of ornament popular during that time. Paper and inks or color should be appropriate. Similarly, 19th century silver items were so fashionable they generally are what they purport to be.

Think of silver like jeans: We all know ballooning bell-bottoms are from the age of Aquarius and the Y2K generation got saddled with low-rise and skinny jeans. But who would think to turn a pair of low-rise jeans into the hip-hugging bell-bottoms of a few decades ago? If they did, there would be strange proportions, differing threads, and faded denims that didn’t quite match. Likewise, silversmiths didn’t often revert to nostalgic patterns―until the 20th century, that is.

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