Description
Scottish Sterling Silver Napkin Ring
A Scottish sterling silver napkin ring of circular form by Lawson & Co, this item is hallmarked from Glasgow in 1919.
It is engraved with the name Ronald.
In good order, of good size, measures 47 mm in diameter and 33 mm in depth.
| DATE | 1919 |
| MAKER or SPONSOR MARK | Lawson & Co |
| ASSAY OFFICE | Glasgow |
| WEIGHT (Grammes) | 35.7 |
| WEIGHT (Troy) | 1.14 |
| REF:- | 404P |
Napkin rings were first introduced in France during the Napoleonic period. Subsequently, the middle classes mostly used napkin rings as a simple means of identifying who owned which napkin.
Firstly, napkin rings often appear as single items with the name or initials of the owner. These can be given as Christening presents. In a similar vein, pairs of napkin rings can be given as wedding presents and at silver weddings.
The use of napkin rings soon spread to most of the European countries and to America. Meanwhile many 19th century napkin rings were made of silver or silver plate, but others were made in bone, wood, pearl, embroidered material, porcelain etc.
Moreover, the napkin ring is a practical object with its historical roots in France. The napkin ring identified one’s napkin in between washes!
