Argente Reticulated Silver Plate on Brass Wine Coaster w/Bakelite Insert: Italy

Description

Up for your consideration is an elegant, reticulated, silver plate on brass wine/champagne coaster with a genuine black Bakelite insert, and a crimped rim on top for further decoration. The coaster is made by hand by silversmith's from the Argente Silver Company, and Argente is a small town located in the province of Ferrara in Southern Italy. It is here that some of the most talented and innovative silversmith's of Italy reside. Argente silversmith's are known for their fine cutlery, souvenir spoons, barware, and the process of silver plating on brass rather than traditional silver plating on copper and nickel. The base metal of a silver plated object affects the strength and durability of the object. Solid brass the base metal in this coaster is much stronger than copper and nickel making this Argente piece a much stronger piece and rightfully so as barware like wine and champagne coasters, like the one in this listing, need to be strong and sturdy over constant use.
The insert in the bottom of this marvelous wine/champagne coaster is made from genuine Bakelite and makes this more than just an ordinary coaster as Bakelite, one of the first synthetic plastics in the world invented in 1909 and later patented, was originally used for knobs and handles on pot's & pan's, radio & TV housings, toaster handles, and a host of utilitarian items until more durable plastics like polycarbonate in modern times to their place. Colored Bakelite like red, green, yellow, and black underwent a Renaissance around 1930 until 1950 when it became the medium for jewelry. Everything from bangles, earrings, rings, pendants, dress clips, brooches with exotic Hawaiian & Tahitian themes for men and women became commonplace oftentimes fetching high prices based on the designers of the time period and what they could produce to satisfy the American marketplace as most Bakelite jewelry was made in America. During WWII Bakelite was needed for the war effort and after the war Bakelite went out of fashion making Bakelite items both utilitarian and decorative highly collectible today as Bakelite was produced in such a short window of time between 1930 and 1950. Since this time period their has been a resurgence of Bakelite products being made especially nostalgic ones like the black Bakelite insert in this dynamic wine/champagne coaster.
Besides the decorative Bakelite insert crimped inside the coaster there is a band of reticulated silver plate that encircles the coaster giving it depth and decoration. Reticulated silver is done with a small coping saw where the silversmiths cuts out a pattern in the silver like the repeated pattern of cut outs on the coaster in this listing. Reticulating silver plate is time consuming and requires control, dexterity, determination, skill, and the ability to formulate a design and cut out a pattern that has wide appeal, and the reticulated silver against the back drop of the black Bakelite insert is just stunning!
Wine coasters date back to George Washington where a French dignitary who sailed from France to America to meet with President Washington presented him with a beautiful sterling silver wine coaster with a mahogany wood insert in it so that Washington wouldn't ruin any of the wood furniture in the White House. This coaster is now housed in the Smithsonian Institute a museum in Washington DC. Today, wine/champagne coasters are used over the holidays, at party's, large social gatherings, and on the brunch, buffet, or dinner table too.
The coaster measures 5" in diameter around the top X 2 1/4" deep, it will hold a standard sized bottle of your favorite wine or champagne, it is in
'mint'
condition, and dates late 20th-century. On the inside rim just above the reticulation is an incised stamp and punched hallmark ascertaining that this is a genuine authentic Argente wine/champagne coaster. There is also a sticker label that said about the same thing as the hallmark however, when I polished this piece to a bright shine I polished off the lettering on the sticker also on the inside rim.
Good luck! Any questions? Email me right away! Please see my other treasures on my EBAY site by clicking on "SELLER'S OTHER ITEMS.' Don't hesitate to make a 'reasonable' offer as my pricing is flexible too.