Antique silver skewers vary in size from the 5" long version for poultry and game, to 12" long skewers for beef and other meats. These long, pointed, flat items were used to hold and check on the state of cooked meat. The most common type has a finger ring terminal, but earlier examples have cast motifs to the end. The cross-section of the blade changed from oblong in the mid-late 1700's to having a ridge running down the centre. Later examples appeared in the standard pattern forms.
