Victorian Sheffield Table Knife & Fork Set — Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Ebony Handles

A matched table knife and fork by Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Cutlers to Her Majesty. The blade bears the full stamp: VR / Joseph Rodgers & Sons / Cutlers to Her Majesty with the star and Maltese cross trademarks, dating this set to the Victorian era.

Both pieces are fitted with flat ebony scale handles and chunky nickel end caps with ribbed detailing — an elegant handle style that sets this set apart from the more common round-handled Victorian cutlery.

Sets like this formed part of a formal Victorian table service, and the pairing of dark ebony with nickel gives it a more restrained, tailored look than the bone- or horn-handled settings more commonly seen from the period — a distinctive piece for anyone building out a period table setting or drawn to the history of Sheffield cutlery.