13" Inverness Toddy Ladle Cairngorm Thistle, c.1880 F&M

This is a lovely Scottish provincial silver toddy ladle with whalebone handle fitted with an amethyst stone to the terminal.

It has a super-long length of 13" with the small round bowl clearly stamped "F&M" for Ferguson and MacBean, camel mark and "I.N.V.S" mark for Inverness. The makers were working in the city during the latter decades of the Victorian period.

The handle is made from whalebone with a twist to the centre (slight bend in the handle) and the terminal has fabulous attention to detail with the silver fashioned as a Scottish thistle and fitted with a suitably facetted cairngorm variety of amethyst. This rare ladle is in fine condition.