One of our big events of 2024 We are looking forward to showing some of  our wonderful treasures at this prestigious event  International Antiques Fair  2024  is at The Convention Centre Hong Kong  May 24-28 2024  We are in Booth A1– -hopefully you can’t miss us  VIP opening is Friday May 24 .  We have tickets – please contact us   The Exhibition continues Saturday 25 May until Tuesday 28 May  11am to 7pm See you there!   * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name ..read more

Every year as the Lunar New Year approaches I try to find the right image to send auspicious wishes This year – the Year of the Dragon – I just don’t know which one to choose… Will it be the magnificent dragons on this large Japanese Export silver table box? All double skinned- the deep repousse work by the Japanese Export silversmiths was always lined by another layer of silver and looks perfect. Or would it be this classic Chinese Export silver presentation bowl by Wang Hong of Hong Kong Or would it be this totally over the top Chinese Export silver tea pot – dragon handle, dragon finial a ..read more

Our big event of the year!  Fine Art Asia 2023 After four years we are finallly able to show all our wonderful treasures at this prestigeous event   Fine Art Asia 2023  is at The Convention Centre Hong Kong  We are in Booth F7 – right by the cafe so grab a coffee and browse!  VIP opening is Wednesday 4 October at 3pm .  We have a limited number of invitations to give away.  Please let us know if you would like one – see below The Exhibition continues Thursday 5 October to  Sunday 8 October 11am to 7pm We can send you an  invitation for this s ..read more

A sauce boat, gravy boat, or saucière is a low jug or pitcher with a handle in which sauce or gravy is served. The typical shape is considered boat-like, hence the name. It often sits on a matching saucer, sometimes attached to the pitcher, to catch dripping sauce. Sometimes in porcelain but many times in silver we find some really great pieces so useful with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner This photo shows just some of the various silver sauce boats crafted over the years Often in pairs we also find single pieces perfect for sauces. Let’s start with an extra-large pair of v ..read more

A Silver Quiz Having had fun putting together this quiz I thought I should put it up as a blog…. Question 1 How many marks would you expect to see on English silver hallmarked before 1890? Question 2 How old is this tea set? Question 3 Where is this from and how old is it? Question 4 What is the symbolism behind this menu holder? Question 5 What is extra special about this piece? Find the answers in my other blogs https://esmeparishsilver.com/?s=blog ..read more

Chinese Export silver ..and then As trade opened up with China after the Opium Wars so Chinese Export silver changed.. The Chinese Export silver , western style with the pseudo hallmarks – see my blog  https://esmeparishsilver.com/blog/the-origina-of-chinese-export-silver-in-the-beginning/   developed into a whole new art form – a mix of East and West that may never again be repeated The western form continued – tea sets, and dishes, presentation mugs and card case but now a whole lot of Chinese motifs became the decoration – lookalike silver was a thing of the past It was still a b ..read more

The Origins of Chinese Export Silver –In The Beginning… Silver craftsmanship has been around in China for thousands of years but it wasn’t until the late 18th century that the name Chinese Export Silver began to be used It grew out of the Canton system of trade https://brewminate.com/the-canton-trade-system-in-china-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries/ The foreign merchants were corralled in the foreign settlement of Canton whilst they traded the silks and teas and spices for which the West had an insatiable urge. The merchants from all the foreign trading nations came on the monsoon winds in the S ..read more

Chinoiserie Silver An early Victorian saffron pot by Samuel Hayne London 1840 Chinoiserie is a word borrowed from French and means a style in art reflecting Chinese qualities or motifs.  It is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions and  focuses on subjects that were thought by colonial-era Europeans to be typical of Chinese culture In the17th and 18th centuries Europeans had a fascination with Asia due to their increased, but still restricted, access to new cultures through expanded trade with East Asia, especially China. The lim ..read more

and where is it from ? https://esmeparishsilver.com/product/new-arrivals/viennese-silver-champagne-holder/ Follow the link to find out more about this particular piece Antique Silver Treasures – where are they from?  What are they worth? Just the other day I got an email from a lady – she had found a silver vase and could I help her find out where it is from. This is an easy one – the crab was the mark used by Paris and other regions of France to indicate 800 fineness of silver – not quite sterling (925)  but the colour will not rub off! The diamond lozenge on the left gives the mak ..read more

CHINESE EXPORT SILVER BOX – Esme Parish Silver Chinese Export silver marks British silver is hall marked with a coded system See my blog: English Silver Marks – Esme Parish Silver And initially, interestingly, in the early years of Chinese Export silver a similar coding system was used by the Chinese silversmiths- it seemed to please the foreigners who were buying their silver so… See my blog: The Origins of Chinese Export Silver – In the Beginning.. – Esme Parish Silver But as trade opened up with Britain and the other Western nations after the Opium Wars of the 1840’s https://www.britannica ..read more