Silver or Silverplate? Originally a spoon?

I bought this to learn about silver and silver plate. Don't laugh at it, please. I think it was originally a serving spoon that was repurposed as a candle holder. It was happy for me to shine it with a sunshine cloth. I bought a magnet on the way home and it is not magnetic, but from what I gather that is not a definitive test. The salient information I have gleaned is that it says "patent 1955" on it. There are marks after that I can't understand CD1?. The spoon is monogramed "Laura." By the way, while trying to research this I ran across a 2002 comment on a Silver site by @DragonflyWink. I was trying to find out if silver plate silverware is commonly monogrammed. Is all silver silverware individually stamped with a silver mark? I suspect the patent 1955 was about some plating process, but that is just a guess. If you have a minute can you help?

 

Suspect it was Laura who bent it to its current shape. A monogram is a single initial or 2 - 3 initials combined into one. Will this stand on its own, without the weight of a whole candle?

 

The only thing a magnet tests is whether or not a metal is ferrous, iron containing.

 

Awww, geez - somebody took an 1850s coin silver spoon and mangled it all up!

I should be able to find the maker, and perhaps pattern in a bit - should know, but my memory just isn't what it used to be...

~Cheryl

 

*Sigh* Gorham's 'Josephine', design patented in 1855...

~Cheryl

 

Yes. I think that is why they used a bigger spoon.

 

Oh wow. Then it is a treasure. I'm excited.

 

I will treat it kindly. Not to worry.

 

Heh, good to hear that you'll take care of the poor abused thing - what's done is done...

Here's an old post on the pattern: https://www.smpub.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000054.html

~Cheryl

 

Platinum jewelry alloys can be magnetic and can also be magnets.No iron included.

 

I'll shine it up and put it next to my spooner so the other old spoons can commiserate with it. No candles, I promise. Thanks for the link.

 

Interesting. What metals do they alloy with the platinum? Or rather, which alloys are attracted to the magnet?

 

Cobalt for most jewelry applications and not sure what Steven used to make his platinum magnet jewelry..... https://stevenkretchmer.com/blogs/discover/about-kretchmer-alloys

 

May as well stick a candle in it and use it for its new purpose - otherwise it's just a pointless maiming...

~Cheryl

 

He came up before, in connection with the tension settings. He really has a different approach to thinking about jewellery. I was hoping there would be a photo of the magnetic jewellery levitating. However, did see a couple of pieces @Any Jewelry and @komokwa would like:

 

One photo here .......... https://www.imagesjewelers.com/steven-kretchmer/

 

They carefully don't say what the other 233/1000 of the alloy is composed of, but the earrings with the magnets are a cool idea. They do bring up a problem with the single piece magnetized rings: potential for corrupting magnetic strips on credit cards, etc.