Fork Spoon

What Makes Fork Jewelry So Appealing?

The common fork, that lovely utensil that makes feeding ourselves easy, has a surprisingly long but interesting history. Preceded by stick and skewer to cook over an open fire, early forks were believed to be used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Evidence points to early fork use for ritual services and cooking. Most forks at this time had two tines only. A brief historical look at the evolution of the fork may help provide us with an understanding of why fork jewelry is so appealing today.

It’s thought that forks were used for eating in the Middle East since around the seventh century. Oddly enough, it apparently took another 5 centuries for the common fork to be widely used in 16th Century Italy.  Forks are also thought to have been used in France, England and Germany during the 16th and 17th centuries by the wealthy who viewed fork use as a novelty fad.

It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that forks were universally used in the West however. The forks we know today, the four tined kind, began being regularly used for mealtime eating first in England and Germany before finding their place on tables in the US.

Early on in history, there’s evidence that forks were elaborately decorated which likely speaks to the attraction for jewelry making as well as fork jewelry’s popularity today. As commonplace, everyday items, utensils, like dinnerware, presented small spaces for readily applying intricate decoration.  Indeed this fascination with fork decoration produced not only a large variety of uniquely fashioned cutlery, but a new generation of fork and spoon collectors as well.

It’s not clear when making jewelry from forks entered the scene although in recent history, fork jewelry gained significant momentum in the 1970′s. Likely inspired by the hippie generation and the surge of re-cycling sub-themes, original fork jewelry tended to look, well, a lot like forks. That was ok though. The often tiny but delicate and intricate designs on the forks continued to fascinate when transformed into jewelry

Fashion and jewelry trends change and so fork jewelry went out of fashion along with all the hippies. Now and in the past few years we’ve seen a re-surgence of 1970′s fashion (again?) and along with that, the reappearance of jewelry made out of utensils. Although this jewelry is different now. How? It’s considerably more sophisticated and in a lot of cases, hard to distinguish its eaterly origins.

I first noticed the reappearance of fork jewelry while walking art fairs a year or so ago. The jewelry lines were very distinctive and unusual which is what originally drew my attention. It was only through direct and close up examination that I finally realized the jewelry was made from forks and spoons. Gorgeous stuff. This new utensil jewelry included stones which elevated this type of jewelry from its 1970′s predecessor. Wow. Fork tines were sinuously wrapped around beautiful stones and forks were twisted into the most subtle and appealing shapes.

Discovering all of this made me realize just exactly why utensils are so appealing to art jewelers: they’re simple to turn into magnificent jewelry because the decoration and embellishment is already done. All one needs to do is either cut off sections of the handle for rings, etc. or bend the entire fork into a clever shape. Being able to seamlessly add wonderful stones only makes this better.

The beauty of a well-designed and embellished utensil can provide considerable creative inspiration as well. Add to all that the fact that one can enjoy shopping and hunting for vintage, unique and/or contemporary forks and well, the appeal just expands. Given the rising price of sterling today, the opportunity to hunt for and find sterling forks to make jewelry from is just plain delicious.

About the Author

Fork jewelry is a relatively easy type of jewelry to make and can be a great entry point for anyone wanting to start making their own jewelry. To view a quick and delightful video on the ease of making bracelets and necklaces from forks go to Fork Jewelry and be sure to stop by Best Wire Jewelry Making Books for more jewelry making products and reviews.

Fork and Spoon

Fork Me, Spoon Me: The Sensual Cookbook (Limited Edition) $8.92 Exploring the world’s most potent aphrodisiacs for steaming up the kitchen or bedroom (or wherever), this cookbook from a leading authority on sensual foods leads readers down the road to romance or, if preferable, simply helps them get down and dirty. More than 40 recipes based on 12 main ingredients are featured, including vanilla-scented sea bass, moist mango meatloaf, ginger mojitos, and Per…

Forks, Knives and Spoons $8.99 From Peri Wolfman and Charles Gold — authors of the best-selling The Perfect Setting — comes the book that showcases one of today’s favorite collectibles, vintage Forks, Knives & Spoons.Part of the fun in collecting is the search for new and unusual pieces, and Peri and Charley have amassed delicate coin silver tea spoons, bone-handled knives with rusted steel blades, wood-handled forks with dec…

Knife, Fork and Spoon: Eating Around the World $9.03 Long before Julia Child introduced French cooking to American palates, Charles Baker and The Derrydale Press published a highly unusual collection of recipes for its day: exotic recipes from around the world for unusual hors’ d’oeuvres, soups, fish, shellfish, poultry, game, meat, vegetables, fruits and desserts. From avocado salad recipes discovered by the author in Cuba to grouse recipes from th…

OXO Tot Fork and Spoon Set, Aqua $6.99 OXO Fork & Spoon Set OXO Fork & Spoon Set is ideal for babies starting to self-feed. The handles are soft, easy to grip and do not slip. The depth of the spoon is ideal for scooping up food. The fork tines are smooth and gentle on kids’ mouths. The stainless steel body is extremely durable. Why YouÆll Love It: It’s an ideal set for a baby who has just started to self-feed. Age: 12 months…

…

…

Munchkin Sesame Street Toddler Fork and Spoon, Elmo $2.99 The Sesame Street toddler fork and spoon helps to put the fun in mealtime by inviting Elmo to dinner. The toddler fork and spoon are safe for kids and easy for little hands to use. Designed for self-feeding. Rounded fork and spoon tines are designed for safe feeding. Spoon bowl holds toddler-sized portions. Top rack dishwasher safe. BPA free….

Gerber Graduates BPA Free 2 Pack Safety Fork and Spoon Set, Colors May Vary $0.01 Nuk Safety Fork & Spoon – PinkLet your little one feed himself with ease, with this specially designed utensil set made specially for small toddler hands.Features and Benefits-Soft and wide handles are easy to grip -Great training aid that helps toddlers learn to feed themselves -Big textured handles specially designed to fit toddler hands -Forks blunt outer tines and recessed center tines offer a…

Princess Spoon and Fork Set by Pecoware $4.95 Pecoware Princess spoon and fork set makes eating more fun!!!…

Crystal Clear Cutlery 360 Pieces (180 Forks – 120 Spoons – 60 Knives) $16.78 Premium strength crystal clear cutlery contains 360 premium weight pieces – 180 forks, 120 spoons and 60 knives, each in convenient, individually wrapped 20 count packs. Quality cutlery, designed for all occasions, banquets, parties, upscale catering, at home….