The Magnum decanter is pure crystal and it has an elegant, hallmarked sterling silver collar which is handmade in our Brentwood workshop. It has the special feature of being able to hold 150cl - that is the equivalent of 2 standard  bottles of wine, making this large decanter  a great gift for 'the man who has everything' or ideal when you have a group of friends or all the family to dinner. It is part of the JA Campbell contemporary 'Appetite' collection.

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. The silver sheet required is made for us by Cookson Precious Metal and starts life as 93% of pure silver ingot mixed with 7% 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 metre 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 then 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.

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. This is screwed on to a spinning lathe and using a polished steel 'burnisher' with a long wooden handle to provide leverage. This is held against the body and under the arm of the spinner/silversmith. All Campbell decanter tops are 'spun' in 2 parts and lapped together again on a lathe. The top component is 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% pure silver 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.

Why decant wine? Today most wines are routinely filtered and refined to a reasonable high clarity whilst in yesteryear this was not quite the case. This led to the development of the decanter as we know it today, thereby removing the unsightly sediment before it reaches the table. Even a new young wine will benefit tremendously for being decanted as it alters the wine, smoothing its slightly tannic structure and allowing the more complex aromas to be released.

For details of how to decant wine, please see my Silver Decanters section on the home page

Most of the silver decanters on this website can be engraved, either on the silver collar or on the crystal body. 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 JA Campbell decanters will enhance the experience of drinking wine or spirits. The Magnum decanter is suitable for red, white or rose wine. The decanter comes in a satin-lined presentation box and can be gift wrapped if required.

JA Campbell offer a replacement crystal service if an accident should happen. Be assured that all our 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.