Edwardian Sterling Bag
These edwardian sterling bag pieces are tactile silver evening accessories that bring a distinct period elegance to any collection.
Edwardian Sterling Bag
When you search for an edwardian sterling bag, you encounter small evening accessories created for social gatherings and formal occasions. These portable items range from simple coin purses to elaborate mesh evening bags designed to hold essentials.
The pieces on this page span the Edwardian era alongside adjacent Victorian, George V, and 1920s periods. They appear in forms such as cocktail purses, chain link bags, and petite evening purses with fitted interiors.
Makers utilised various decorative approaches, incorporating Art Nouveau motifs, repoussé figural scenes, and fitted compartments. Continental and British workshops produced these items to accompany formal evening wear.
How they were made
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver alongside crocodile skin, textiles, and blue guilloché enamel to construct these bags. Metal elements involve intricate chain mail links, woven mesh, and solid stamped frames.
Makers applied hallmarks to solid silver elements, recording assay offices in London, Birmingham, and Chester alongside specific import marks. Decoration often combined hand-engraved details with enamel work and petit point textile panels.
Edwardian Sterling Bag Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for edwardian sterling bag among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings feature sterling silver, crocodile skin, and guilloché enamel across Edwardian, Victorian, and George V periods.
What varies in quality
Quality depends upon the complexity of the silver construction, distinguishing simple stamped frames from articulated chain mail and finely woven mesh. The integration of contrasting materials like crocodile skin or guilloché enamel elevates the piece.
The clarity of hallmarks and the crispness of repoussé scenes, such as figural designs, mark the distinction between standard workshop output and exceptional maker attribution.
John Collard Vickery·The Boots Company·Robert Cawley·G. Norman
The Edwardian Sterling Bag Glossary
- Sterling silver
- A silver alloy containing 92.5 percent pure silver by mass and 7.5 percent other metals, usually copper. This standard composition provided the durability required for functional evening accessories.
- Guilloché enamel
- A decorative technique where a precise, intricate pattern is mechanically engraved into metal before translucent enamel is applied over the top. It creates a shimmering, reflective surface texture.
- Repoussé
- A metalworking technique where the smith hammers the metal from the reverse side to form a raised design in relief. It frequently appears on purse frames depicting figures or floral motifs.
- Hallmark
- An official mark stamped onto precious metals to indicate the purity, the maker, and the year of assay. British pieces typically show a lion passant, a city mark, and a date letter.
- Chain mail
- Interlinked metal rings forming a flexible fabric used for the body of evening purses. This construction allowed the bag to drape fluidly while maintaining metal durability.
Edwardian Sterling Bag: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an edwardian sterling bag used for?
These items served as functional evening accessories designed to hold small personal items such as coins, cards, and keys during social events.
Today, collectors appreciate them as decorative examples of early twentieth-century silversmithing and textile integration.
How do I identify the date of my purse?
British pieces carry hallmarks that include a specific letter indicating the year of assay and city marks denoting the testing office. Comparing these stamps against official assay records reveals the exact year of manufacture.
Stylistic indicators such as Art Nouveau curves or Edwardian proportions also help narrow down the production period.
What materials besides silver appear on these purses?
Many designs incorporate contrasting textures such as genuine crocodile skin, woven textiles, and petit point needlework panels. Enamel work, particularly blue guilloché enamel, also provides colourful surface decoration.
Inner linings typically consist of silk or leather fitted with small compartments.
How should I care for a silver evening bag?
Silver components benefit from gentle cleaning with a soft cloth to maintain the metal finish without removing delicate details or hallmarks. Enamel and textile sections require protection from moisture and direct sunlight to preserve their condition.
Storing the bag in a dry, padded environment prevents stress on chain mail links and mesh structures.