Georgian Sterling Silver Label
A georgian sterling silver label marks the decanter's contents with period craft, resting on the bottleneck by a chain.
Georgian Sterling Silver Label
A georgian sterling silver label serves as a small identifier hanging around the neck of a decanter or bottle to name the drink inside. The pieces appearing here span the Georgian, Regency, and William IV eras, along with the eighteenth century.
Most examples take the form of escutcheon shapes or vine leaves, carrying names such as sherry, port, claret, rum, madeira, gin, hock, moselle, cayenne, and single letters like S.
Makers working in London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow shaped these small accessories from solid silver, often marking them with specific drinks for the dining table.
Silver and construction
Silversmiths formed these pieces from sterling and solid silver, utilising techniques of piercing, stamping, and engraving to shape the metal and spell out the names of wines and spirits.
The designs incorporate rococo revival motifs, vine leaf outlines, and escutcheon plates, completed with suspension chains or loops to secure them to glassware.
Materials across the entries consist entirely of sterling silver, solid silver, and silver.
Design and execution
The distinction between ordinary and superior pieces rests on the crispness of the engraved lettering and the originality of the maker's mark. Named London and provincial makers command greater attention when their stamps remain sharp beside clear hallmarks.
Model complexity also defines the standard, moving from plain stamped shields to pierced vine leaves and miniature formats associated with named silversmiths.
Elizabeth Morley·John Reily·Thomas Wallis II·William Sharp·Peter and Anne Bateman
The Georgian Sterling Silver Label Glossary
- Escutcheon
- A shield-shaped plate used as the primary body for naming the contents of a decanter. This form provides a smooth central surface for engraved titles like sherry or port.
- Vine Leaf
- A popular motif shaped like foliage, frequently pierced and engraved with fruit details to frame the name of the wine.
- Bottle Ticket
- An alternative contemporary term for a decanter label. These small silver tags hung from bottlenecks to identify the spirits within.
- Hallmark
- The official stamp applied to silver indicating the standard of purity, the assay office, and the date letter for the year of production.
- One Go
- A miniature label designed for individual measures of spirits. These tiny silver tickets often accompany smaller decanters or rum flasks.
Georgian Sterling Silver Label: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I hang a silver label?
Most pieces include an original thin silver chain or jump ring threaded through the top loop. This chain slips easily over the bottleneck of a decanter.
Ensure the chain rests securely on the glass shoulder so the label hangs forward to display the engraved drink name.
What drinks are named on these labels?
The common inscriptions include port, sherry, claret, madeira, rum, gin, hock, and moselle. Some unusual examples name cayenne or feature single letters.
These titles reflect the dining and drinking habits of the Georgian period, where decanters held varied contents.
Are these labels made of solid silver?
The items recorded here consist of sterling silver and solid silver, meeting the legal standard of the period. London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow assay offices tested and marked the metal.
Matching hallmarks on the reverse or rim confirm the silver standard and often provide the date of manufacture.
How can I tell the date of a label?
Date letters stamped within the hallmarks indicate the exact year the piece passed through the assay office. Stylistic clues such as rococo revival scrolls or simple Regency shields also point to specific decades.
Combining the maker's mark with the assay office stamp gives the most reliable chronological placement.