A guide to terms used on the pocketfruitknives.com website
Aesthetic Movement The Aesthetic Movement, flourishing in the late 19th century, emphasised beauty and art for art’s sake, rejecting moral or narrative purposes. Inspired by classical ideals and exotic influences, it prized elegance, sensuality, and refined craftsmanship.
Acanthus A Mediterranean plant with broad, prickly leaves. In Victorian design it symbolised enduring life and classical beauty.
Anthemion A classical decorative motif featuring radiating, fan-shaped floral designs, often resembling honeysuckle or palm leaves. In Victorian design it symbolised vitality and beauty.
Arcadian An idealised vision of rural life, peaceful, simple and harmonious with nature.
Argonite A crystal form of calcium carbonate that forms naturally in seashells.
Art Deco A movement that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated luxury, modernity, and progress through bold geometric shapes.
Art Nouveau A style movement from the early 1890s up to the First World War. Its philosophy was to apply stylised, asymmetric organic forms to everyday objects.
Arts & Crafts Movement Rising in the late 19th century, the Arts & Crafts movement emphasised traditional craftsmanship, simple forms, and natural materials. It was a reaction against industrialisation that sought to promote the value of handmade work.
Assay A test or analysis used to determine the content, quality, or purity of a metal, mineral, or substance. In precious metals it ensures authenticity and purity standards.
Assay Office Mark A symbol stamped on precious metals to show they have been officially tested for purity by an authorised assay office such as Birmingham, Chester, London and Sheffield. Each office has its own unique mark such as London’s leopard head or Birmingham’s anchor.
Berge knife A knife with twin blades hinged on the same pin — essentially a French style knife.
Barlow style Refers to long metal coverings at the pivot end of a pocket knifeBaroque
Bolster A metal cover at the junction between the haft and blade.
Bright-cut engraving A facet-cut engraving method with short deeply-angled cuts.
Cartouche An inlaid or applied metal plate used to frame an inscription.
Chasing The art of hammering metal from the top side with a small sharp tool to produce an indented pattern without incurring any metal loss.
Châtelaine An ornamental hook worn on a belt for small domestic tools.
Date Letter Mark A letter of the alphabet in a specific font and shape to denote the year of assay. Each assay office had their own system.
Duty Dodgers Silversmiths who stamped pseudo hallmarks to avoid paying the tax imposed on silver and gold items.
Duty Mark A stamped profile of the reigning monarch’s head to indicate that the duty, or tax, had paid paid. Duty on silver and gold items was due between 1784 and 1890.
Edwardian The period of the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910) characterised by a less formal style compared to the Victorian era.
End Cap A metal cover at the heel end of a fruit knife.
Engraving A decorative technique achieved by cutting away metal lending itself to both simple inscriptions and complex decorations.
Fluting Concave channelled lines of decoration.
French nail nick A long groove along the top of a blade to enable easier opening.
Gadrooning A decorative technique in metalwork featuring a series of raised, rounded and often fluted or spiral patterns appearing as continuous bands or borders. Gadrooning became popular in Rococo and Neoclassic decorative styles.
Georgian: The period of the reigns of King George III (1760-1820) and King George IV (1820-1830).
Gilt or silver gilt A covering of a thin layer of gold used either as a decorative element or to prevent tarnishing.
Haft Another name for the handle of a knife
Hallmark A system of impressed marks on silver or gold items by an assay office to guarantee authenticity and purity.
Incuse Refers to a design that is sunken into the surface of a material, rather than raised above it. An incuse pattern is stamped or pressed into the surface, creating a recessed image.
Liner The twin strips of metal that form the haft.
Lion passant The English hallmark used to guarantee sterling silver purity. First adopted in 1544, it is a depiction of lion in walking pose facing left and looking ahead.
Lion passant gardant The same as lion passant, but with the lion looking over its shoulder rather than straight ahead.
Maker’s mark The registered initials stamped on an object created by a silversmith.
Milling A technique of pressing a design into the metal, either by the use of a pre-cut wheel or flat die.
Mother-of-pearl A lustrous organic material formed by mollusks on the inside of their shells.
Nacre Another name for mother-of-pearl.
Nail nick A groove cut into the blade to ease opening.
Neoclassical A movement that emerged in the 1750s based on designs of ancient Greece and Rome.
Piqué-clouté A decorative feature where silver or gold wire is inlaid in the form of dots.
Piqué-Posé A decorative feature where silver or gold wire is inlaid in fine lines.
Pseudo hallmarks Stamps resembling genuine hallmarks. They were used unscrupulously either to avoid paying tax due on silver items or to make non-silver items appear genuine.
Purity Mark Sometimes referred to as the Sterling mark, it takes the form of a lion passant or lion passant gardant and guarantees the purity of the silver.
Repoussé A method of pushing silver from behind to create a relief pattern.
Ricasso A bar between the blade and the tang.
Rivet A stud of metal used to hold knives together or act as a hinge pinn for the blade
Rococo A late-Baroque 18th-century movement characterised by natural motifs, curved forms and a highly ornamental style.
Rosette A disc-shaped cover for rivets, often micro-engraved for decoration.
Scale The piece of mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ivory or other organic material used to cover the liner.
Spine The edge of a haft or blade. The spine along the edge of a haft was usually covered with a tooled sleeve of silver.
Stamped or Stamping: Using presses and dies to add decorative elements or to form an entire object such as a bolster or end cap.
Sterling silver The standard alloy of 925 parts of pure silver to 75 parts copper that gives silver an ideal blend of durability and workability.
Tang An extension of a blade, drilled to take the hinge pin.
Vermeil The French term for silver gilt.
Victorian The period of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1900). A variety of styles were prevalent during this period, most of which involved a high degree of ornamentation.
Wrigglework A method of creating a decorative line on silver by rocking a graver, or fine chisel, side-to-side in a zigzag motion.
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