Featured Just Plated But Sweet Tea-Strainer-Spoon, No Marks

It has always puzzled an' intrigued me that so many older things...carefully wrought from quality materials, well designed an' functional...bear no markings of their maker, nor regional information. You'd think pride in accomplishment would demand at least a name, wouldn't you?
So it is with this elegantly simple tea tool. Its correct name isn't known to me, but when I saw it I knew what its purpose was. It was almost black, but that was a small effort to remedy. The handle just may be CuNi; the basket is certainly silver-plated. It's ~5" long, the basket is ~1 3/4" X ~1 1/4"; it weighs 3/4 ounce.
Do any of y'all see hints that point to an era, or a place of use, or maker?
I'll be grateful for your comments an' suggestions...Thanks for lookin'!

 

Wouldn't that be called a "tea strainer"................??! Both of these are on ebay.....​

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OK...I can go with that. Thanks, Aquitaine!

 

These date back to the 1890s, earliest reference I have is an 1892 description as new in England - they were typically called 'teaettes' or 'tea ball spoons', but 'tea maker spoon' and 'tea infuser spoon' were also used occasionally, most of the old ads I have date from the 1910s to '50s. Common in silverplate, they were also made with hollow sterling handles, and in solid silver, by numerous manufacturers (I have one in Finnish .813 silver). Suspect 'tea infuser spoon' is the most common term for them these days...

Here is a 1925 ad for one similar to yours:



~Cheryl

 

Very Good, Cheryl...an' Thanks!