A round sterling silver flanged dish, handspun from a heavy gauge of sterling silver. A pair of turned lines near the outside edge with staggered hallmarks is a feature of this dish, together with a raised centre in the base. This is a reproduction piece from the 1500s and is part of the J A Campbell 'Classic' collection. It is available in a range of sizes from 3 and a quarter inches to 16 inches.

These sterling silver dishes are ideal when entertaining, whether it is in the dining room or al fresco. Your friends and family are sure to be impressed without a doubt.

The smaller sizes of these silver dishes are particularly suitable for serving a small selection of nuts or sweets, maybe cheese biscuits or similar litle nibbles. Another suggestion is for unlit candles or for holding small items of jewelery such as rings or earrings on a ladys dressing table. 

All the Campbell dishes are made from standard silver sheet employing the 'spinning' method. The thickness used increases as the diameter gets larger. This sheet 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 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.

The 'spinning' method, mentioned above, is a traditional method of making round hollow objects from sheet material in relatively small quantities and is the main production method used by J A Campbell. There are 2 variations in the process of spinning these dishes in that up to 9 1/4" diameter they are spun the conventional way, that is , outside spinning on a male 'chuck' or former and for the sizes larger, the 'sinking' or inside spinning in a female 'chuck'.

The spinner or silversmith coaxes the silver dish over or into the chuck using a polished steel 'burnisher' with a long wooden handle held against his body to provide push. NB it takes quite a lot of force, especially with the large sizes.

At this stage in the making the item is punched with the makers mark, JAC in a triangle, which are the initials of John Campbell. 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. Large staggered hallmarks are used in a similar style to the original antiques.

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 dishes are then ultrasonically cleaned, punched with the JA Campbell name mark and packed into fitted presentation boxes for dispatch.

Why not simply indulge yourself and invest in this versatile silver dish. Alternatively as a silver birthday gift for friends or family or as a silver wedding present. If the occasion is a golden wedding then these silver dishes can be gold plated or even made from gold or any other precious metal. As a corporate silver gift this dish can presented as an award, as a silver incentive gift or as a retirement present.

For all the above occasions these silver dishes are most suitable for engraving with a message, a logo or even a coat of arms.

This style of dish has had several names in recent years depending on the manufacturer who has reproduced them, for example Armada dish, Harris dish, Drake dish, Campbell dish or Elizabethan dish. The style dates back to the 16^th century. The aristocracy and wealthy gentry would have used this style of dish on formal occasions. Some of the larger sizes would e used to serve food and some of the smaller ones upturned and used as lids to keep the food hot.

There is a theory that the first Armada dishes were made from New World silver that had been captured from the Spanish treasure ships. It is also thought that they could have been given by Sir Walter Raleigh to Sir Christopher Harris who worked for the Admiralty during the time of the Anglo-Spanish war. (1585 - 1604) Whatever the history these silver dishes make an interesting talking point however you choose to use them and whatever name you give them

In the unlikely event of damage JA Campbell provide a repair service.

You can be assured that all J A Campbell products are made up to a standard not down to a price. Nothing leaves the Brentwood workshop until Master Silversmith John Campbell is completely satisfied.