The Brandy/Sherry decanter from J A Campbell is part of the ‘Classic’ collection.

The decanter is pure cut crystal and it has an elegant hallmarked sterling silver collar which is handmade in our Brentwood workshop. This decanter can only be engraved on the silver mount. This allows you to personalize the gift and mark the occasion. They are suitable for many occasions, a wedding present or a birthday, a corporate gift or for an award ceremony, or simply to spoil yourself!

All of the decanter tops in the JA Campbell range are made by the ‘spinning’ method although each model is different in size and shape. This sheet is made for us by Cookson Precious Metal and starts life as 93% of pure silver ingot mixed with 6.5%of pure copper and melted in a continuous casting machine producing a billet about 10” wide and 1” thick. This is cut into manageable lengths and rolled to increase the width to 1 metre and the length to produce the final thickness required. They are then cut into 1 metre by 0.5 stock sizes. Next they are packed together (about 20 sheets) into thick steel boxes with a thin dusting of talcum powder between each sheet to prevent them sticking together. Several of these boxes are then packed into a furnace and cooked for around 12 hours and allowed to cool. This process softens (anneals) the sheets which through the rolling process have become very hard. The sheets are then removed from the boxes, cleaned and plastic coated for protection. 

Spinning is an ancient method that is still suitable today for the making of round hollow objects from sheet material in relatively small quantities. It involves taking a disc of sheet material, in this case silver, and coaxing it (while it spins rapidly) over a preformed chuck or former, screwed on to a spinning lathe. A polished steel ‘burnisher’ with a long wooden handle, which is held against the body and under the arm of the spinner/silversmith, is used to provide push. All Campbell decanter tops are ‘spun’ in 2 parts and lapped together, again on a lathe. The top component being thicker than the bottom to avoid accidental damage which could occur from the stopper.

At this stage in the making the item is punched with the makers mark, JAC in a triangle, which is the registered mark of JA Campbell and is the full initials of John. It is then sent to the London Assay Office for testing of each and every component. Only if all the components prove to be better than 92.5% are the remaining hallmarks punched into the surface while being supported on a steel stake. The English hallmarking system is one of the oldest and best forms of consumer protection and dates back to the 1400s.

The item is then returned to the silversmith’s workshop where it is polished using 4 grades of compound to remove all the spinning lines, file marks, blemishes and scrape marks caused by the Assay Office tests.

The decanter tops are then ultrasonically cleaned, punched with the JA Campbell name mark and fitted on to the appropriate decanter using Plaster of Paris.

Finally they are packed into fitted presentation boxes for dispatch.

This decanter by JA Campbell will enhance the experience of enjoying wine or spirits. The Brandy/Sherry decanter as the name suggests is suitable for serving Brandy or Sherry.

There are 3 main types of Brandy. Grape brandy produced by the distillation of fermented grapes. Fruit brandy which is distilled from fruits other than grapes such as apples and example being Calvados. The third type being Pomace brandy which is produced by fermentation and distillation of grape skins, seeds and stems that remain after the grapes have been pressed and their juice extracted, an example of this is the Italian Grappa.

The history of Sherry is closely linked with that of Spanish wine production particularly in the Cadiz region. It is one of the world’s oldest wines and while Sherry does not enjoy the level of popularity it once did, it remains one of the world’s most unusual and historical wines

This decanter comes in a satin lined presentation box and can be gift wrapped if required. A replacement crystal service is available if an accident should happen.

Be assured that all JA Campbell products are made up to a standard and not down to a price.

‘To delight a customer’ is something Designer John Campbell aims to do with every item that leaves his workshop.