Elegant Antique French Sterling Silver & Carved Ivory 12pc Dessert Knife Set
Elegant antique French Napoleon III to Belle Epoque era .800 (nearly sterling) silver & carved ivory 12pc entremet or dessert sized knife set! A beautiful set of twelve here, solid hand carved genuine ivory handles with hallmarked French silver blades and all in wonderful condition! The blades all bear the French Minerve or Minerva hallmark, the shape and tiny number "2" within the marks means they're in .800 or better silver (80% pure so just under the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). The slightly lower silver content is quite common in French knife blades due to the added durability it affords. Silversmith marks are for Benjamin Poisson, Paris circa 1871. Very good condition. There are a few visible hairline cracks in the handles but no real damage, just a natural age flaw. A few marks on blades but all in wonderful shape, as you can see in the images. The box may not be original but works and is roughly similar in age. See pictures for weights and measurements. The