Gold and mother-of-pearl pocket fruit knife from London, 1799

Description

Gold bladed pocket fruit knives are extremely scarce.

They first appeared in very small numbers in the mid-18th century but became popular among the very wealthy towards the end of the century.

The Sheffield and Birmingham Assay Offices were not licensed to hallmark gold at that time, only the London Office could stamp hallmarks on gold items.

Gold pocket fruit knives tended to be slightly smaller than their silver counterparts, presumably because of the high cost of gold.

This beautiful knife was hallmarked at the London Assay Office in 1799 with the George III head duty mark, the lion passant and the date letter “D” for 1799.

The knife has chamfered iridescent mother-of-pearl scales pinned to the liners with micro-engraved gold rivets. The ribbed bolsters are in 18 carat rose gold as is the plain back bar sleeve. The blade is also 18 carat gold.

There is a contemporaneous hairline crack to the rear mother-of-pearl scale otherwise this fabulous knife is in excellent condition.

The knife comes with its original embossed leather-covered case which remains in very good condition.