Mid Century Cocktail Set
A mid century cocktail set brings together the spirited design of the nineteen fifties and forties for entertaining.
Mid Century Cocktail Set
When you search for a mid century cocktail set, you encounter barware accessories and cased collections designed for entertaining. The selection includes barware, ice buckets with draining spoons, and cased sets of cocktail sticks featuring enamelled cockerel motifs or cherry red accents.
The objects span periods from the nineteen forties through to nineteen sixty, capturing Mid-Century, Mid-Century Modern, Art Deco, and Mid-Century French styles. Alongside these barware items, the selection frequently incorporates cocktail rings, ladies cocktail watches, and gemstone necklaces spanning yellow gold, platinum, and white gold settings.
You are most likely to meet silver-plated or sterling silver cased sets alongside chrome and plastic bar accessories. These pieces reflect the functional elegance of mid century social gatherings.
How they were made
Makers utilised sterling silver, silver gilt, and silver-plating for cased cocktail pick sets, often applying vitreous enamel to create coloured cockerel figures. Chrome and plastic appear alongside wood in barware accessories and ice buckets.
Goldsmiths worked with yellow gold, white gold, and platinum to shape cocktail rings and watches, incorporating diamonds, emeralds, amethysts, sapphires, and synthetic rubies into cluster and solitaire settings.
The evidence records sterling silver cased sets alongside chrome, wood, and plastic bar items.
What varies in quality
The standard of a mid century cocktail set depends on the preservation of the enamel work on cockerel figures and the integrity of the original presentation case. Complete sets retain all matching picks without losses to the coloured accents.
In jewellery and watches associated with the period, quality rests on the cut and carat weight of diamonds and emeralds, alongside the precision of the metalwork in white gold, yellow gold, and platinum.
Macabo·The Adie Brothers
The Mid Century Cocktail Set Glossary
- Cocktail stick set
- A matched group of small picks housed in a fitted case, often featuring decorative finials such as enamelled cockerels. These sets were designed for spearing olives and fruit garnishes.
- Silver gilt
- Sterling silver that has been coated with a thin layer of gold, providing a rich yellow lustre. This technique appears on specific cased cocktail pick sets from the period.
- Baguette cut
- A step-cut style for diamonds and gemstones that results in a rectangular shape with straight facets. These stones often accent the shoulders of mid century rings.
Mid Century Cocktail Set: Frequently Asked Questions
What items make up a mid century cocktail set?
A mid century cocktail set typically comprises cased collections of silver or silver-plated cocktail picks, often featuring enamelled animal motifs. Ice buckets with draining spoons also form part of this barware category.
Additional items span barware accessories and cocktail rings created during the same period, uniting entertaining accessories with personal ornaments.
How do I care for silver enamel cocktail picks?
Silver enamel cocktail picks require gentle cleaning with a soft cloth to protect the delicate vitreous enamel surfaces from scratching. Avoid harsh chemical dips that can damage coloured accents.
Store cased sets in their original presentation boxes away from direct sunlight to preserve the finish of the silver and the enamel.
What materials indicate a mid century date?
Materials such as chrome, plastic, and silver-plate point directly to mid century manufacturing techniques and domestic trends. Coloured enamel accents on animal figures are also typical of this era.
Precious metals like platinum and white gold appear alongside diamonds and emeralds in high-end cocktail jewellery from the same decades.
How do I distinguish Art Deco from mid century barware?
Art Deco barware relies on geometric symmetry, linear motifs, and stylised ornamentation developed during the nineteen twenties and thirties. Mid century designs introduce softer organic forms and playful figurative elements.
Enamelled cockerels and bright cherry red accents are characteristic of the playful nature found in mid century cocktail accessories.