A Charger Plate, otherwise known as an Underplate, Unterteller, Service Plate or Lay Plate, made from thick gauge sterling silver and incorporating a soft satin finish on the inside base to minimize scuffs from plates. It fits most large dinner plates up to 11.5 inches or 29.2cm diameter. Part of the 'Appetite' collection from JA Campbell Silversmiths.

Alleviating the need for placemats these chargers or under plates add the finishing touch to your dining presentation, and provide an interesting contrast to most china plate patterns and colours. Certain to create a talking point with your friends and guests, silver having become a subtle status symbol in recent years. They can be used to transport hot plates to and from the table and alleviate heat damage to your table and prevent odd spots of sauce reaching your tablecloth. There are different schools of thought as to how these plates should be used, the most usual way is that after the main course has been served, it is taken away not to be seen again. The other way is to leave it in place until the desert appears and then it disappears. Chargers, Underplates or Layplates as we know them today, superseded the earlier smaller silver plates from around 1400 on which the food would be directly served. This led to considerable damage from knives as forks had not been invented at this stage.

This item matches and compliments other essential items in the 'Appetite' collection such as napkin rings, cruet sets and decanters. You can spoil yourself and buy some for your own use or a special present for someone close. They are sure to enhance any dinner party. They are also very suitable as a silver wedding present, a silver birthday present, a corporate gift or incentive gift. They can also be made in gold or other precious metals.

For those interested in how we make these charger plates or underplates in our Brentwood workshop a brief description follows from Master Silversmith John Campbell.

We take a large thick silver blank, supplied to us by Cookson Precious Metals, and 'spin' it on a 'spinning lathe' in several stages over preformed steel 'chucks'. This is quite a low tec and old method of producing round items of hollowware and is suited to small and medium sized production runs. The tool used to coax the silver on to the 'chuck' is a polished steel 'burnisher 'with a long wooden handle. The silversmith holds this under his arm and uses his body weight to move the metal. The highly skilled part of the silversmith's task is to stop the silver disk from buckling as it moves from the flat to the hollow.

Next the makers mark, JAC in a triangle, the initials of John Campbell is punched into the surface. Then comes a visit to the London Assay Office housed in Goldsmiths Hall where the item has all its components tested. Once proved positive (that is 92.5% silver - no minus tolerated) the remaining hallmarks are punched into the surface. Most bullion suppliers to the silversmiths alloy at 94% to make certain no mistakes can occur. This British hallmarking system is one of the world's oldest forms of consumer protection dating back to around the 1400s. Upon return to the workshop the service plate is now polished using 4 grades of polishing compound. This is a highly skilled process and also performs a quality control role where any faults or blemishes in the metal or from previous processes will be rectified. The item is now masked and sand blasted in its well then repolished to change the flat finish to a polished sheen finish while leaving the edge bright. Last, but not least, the plate is ultrasonically cleaned and boxed ready for dispatch.

This item is highly suitable for engraving to further personalize with a name, initials, logo, or even the vessels name. In the unlikely event of damage JA Campbell provide a full repair service. You can be assured that all JA 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.

This sterling silver charger or underplate is a pleasure to use today and a great investment to be handed down to future generations.

As with most things in life your silver will need occasional cleaning, this does not need to be a chore and can be quite therapeutic. From as little as the wash up of an eating utensil to the occasional buff up to remove light tarnish, and an occasional polish using silver cleaner such as Silvo.