Old Newbury Crafters is celebrating its 100th anniversary continuing the tradition of quality hand forged sterling silver flatware. At Old Newbury Crafters, we produce a completely handmade, truly superior flatware. Unlike the many machine made types of flatware available in the market, we follow an art and tradition that has been passed through generations of American Silversmiths.
The process begins with a single bar of sterling silver. There is no stamping or cutting out of the sterling - the piece is forged with a five pound hammer on the polished surface of an anvil. As it is forged the silver hardens and must be heated by the Silversmith to soften it. It is fired to a glowing red and plunged into cold water. The forging continues, creating a strength and hardness far greater than the original bar of raw sterling.
The hammering doesn't end when the piece is forged to shape; it is rehammered with a lighter planishing hammer to smooth out the heavy forging marks, leaving a subtle hammered texture. In bending the neck of shaft to just the right curve the Silversmith shapes it against a hard maple wood block that serves as a base against which to pound the silver without marring it.
Special shapes are achieved through the use of hand tools. For example, the spoon bowl is rounded out by raising an iron weighted form in its trap by a rope and releasing it. The weighted form strikes a sharp blow against the spoon end and shapes the bowl.
The Silversmith then makes his mark on the flatware, placing his personal hallmark on the back of the handle. Another stamp is placed indicating the piece is Old Newbury Crafters Handwrought Sterling.
