This Ships Decanter has a mouth blown crystal body, cut in a traditional design with a matching cut crystal stopper, and a handmade hallmarked sterling silver collar.

The Decanter is mouth blown; each piece is unique, having been made by a team of craftsmen, including a Master glassblower and cutter, who have perfected their skills over at least 10 years. The clear lines and clarity of these decanters complement the rich colours of the liquids they hold.

This Ships Decanter, as it is known, has a unique handmade hall marked silver collar which is made thick enough to withstand a slight knock.  It was designed and made by Master Silversmith John Campbell and is part of the 'Classic' collection. This particular decanter is usually used to hold port or sherry and sometimes spirits.

The use of the Ships decanter began in the early naval ships in the late 18^th century and it would almost certainly have been found in the Captain's cabin - no matter what size of ship. The broad base of this decanter, sometimes up to 12" in diameter, was made popular by Admiral Rodney when he used it aboard his flagship. The base was to ensure the stability when at sea.

One more test of a ships decanter is when the shortest distance from the outer edge of the pouring lip to the edge of the base be equal or greater than the outer circumference of the pouring lip. This was known as the 'Rodney' test.

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.

Cookson also provide a circle/disc cutting service of which JA Campbell take full advantage.

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 and using a polished steel 'burnisher' with a long wooden handle which is held against the body and under the arm of the spinner/silversmith 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 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 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.

 Either the crystal body or the silver collar can be suitably engraved with a message or image of your choice, making it an ideal silver wedding present, silver birthday gift or silver corporate gift. It is also possible to make the collar in other precious metals of your choice such as gold or platinum to suit another occasion or simply to add value.

In the unlikely event of damage, JA Campbell provides a replacement crystal service.

All JA Campbell silver mounted decanters are made up to a standard not down to a price. We hope you get as much enjoyment out of using it, as we did making it! Why not look at a coaster to match this item?