Presented is a wonderful set of 18 French gilt silver and gold fruit or dessert knives, with mother-of-pearl handles. These knives date to 1809-1819. The blades and end-caps of the knives are gilt French first standard silver, which has a purity of 950. It's worth noting that this is a higher purity than sterling, which is 925. The handles of the knives are mother-of-pearl, set with a finely engraved gold shield-shaped plaque.
The knives are in great overall condition, with no chips or breaks to the mother-of-pearl handles and no significant wear to the gilding of the blades. One of the knives, as the photo points out, is missing the silver cap to its handle. These caps are fairly standard and could probably be replaced.
The knives are hallmarked on the blades with the French first standard silver guarantee mark used in the Provinces from 1809-1819, consisting of a rooster in an oval shaped punch, guaranteeing 950 purity silver. There is also a mark of a man's head in profile facing right, in a round punch, and a maker's mark that we unfortunately can't make out.
