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We had a client who was refinishing an antique trunk as a wedding gift. As a symbol of the marital bond, she wanted to apply a personalized engraved message on an antique lock. She brought us an old lock with an aged patina and requested the couple's last names be engraved with the date of their "incorporation." The result was fantastic when the old copper shined through the years of age on the face of the lock. She thought this was the perfect symbol for a marriage meant to shine through the test of time! Do you need custom engraving? Special engraving orders don't upset us!

As the only pewter company in the U.S. that still uses the centuries-old hand-casting method to create our pewter products, Hampshire Pewter is a prime source of diplomatic and protocol gifts for officers of the United States Government.

Custom logo pens or a logo coffee mug are great for the masses at trade shows, but gifts for key clients should reflect the value of your relationship. Pewter gifts are symbolic of integrity and class - a complement to the qualities of your company, and a lasting and meaningful way of showing your appreciation.

Early American pewter is noted for its simplicity of style. The difficulty and expense of obtaining molds resulted in a slower stylistic evolution than that of silver which did not require molds for its manufacture, though the general design trends in silver were eventually reflected in pewter. Because pewter was a far softer metal, a thicker construction was often used as a means of increasing durability. Further, pewter's basically utilitarian nature discouraged excessive ornamentation.

There is an exquisite sense of rustic ambiance in pewter collectibles.  They make for cozy dining.  A Christmas embellished with pewter ornaments balances out the twinkling lights and more colorful decorations perfectly.  Pewter candlesticks conjure up creativity and spirituality. 

So your preferred home styling and decor is rustic. If this is your dream for your home and a guide in the next home improvement project, then consider that job ‘almost done’. There are retailers and online resources that can help you take advantage of rustic home decor and styling, and bring this ‘old world touch’ into your home. 

Charms were not always worn; they were, at one time, spoken or sung. They historically referred to the blessing that a priest gives at the end of a service. But because of man's need for permanence, charms gradually took on physical forms, worn for their significance to the bearer or for the supposed blessing or fortune they bestow upon the wearer. Anything can be used as a charm. Over the centuries, however, some charms with universal meanings have come to be more well-worn than those with personal significance.

Some people are born to entertain.  They have those huge personalities that draw others to them and know exactly how to make each guest feel equally important and special.  For those people who would like to be experts at entertaining but don’t have the natural born skill, small gatherings are the perfect way to practice to work towards a big to-do.

‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ sounds a jolly carol without hinting that it was actually a catechetical device written by the Jesuits in the 16th century as a means of (secret) instruction of the basic teachings of the Catholic faith. Outward, and even private worship, was banned under the reign of Henry VIII until Elizabeth I. It was not uncommon at the time for homes to be raided since priests used to secretly baptize a child or give a dying person the Last Rites. So the faithful, especially the children, who are learning Christian values are safe from persecution, ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ was popularized.

The season for great smelling candles is here.  Everyone wants their homes to smell of cinnamon, spices and an array of baked goods, even if their idea of baking is picking up a dozen cookies from the grocery store. 

Did you know that the bell-shaped cone at the end of a long handle that you use to put out your candles isn’t really a snuffer? Colloquially, we refer to anything that puts out candles now as a snuffer, but in fact the tool we know as a snuffer is actually an “extinguisher” or candle “douter.”

“In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” The reason the holiday is called Columbus Day is because he was the captain on one of the ships – the Santa Maria – and technically the first person to set foot on the New World and claimed it for the global superpower then, the Spain.

Pewter was first used around the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Near East. The earliest piece of pewter found is from an Egyptian tomb from 1450 BC. Pewter was used in the ancient world by the Egyptians and later the Romans, and came into extensive use in Europe from the Middle Ages until the various developments in pottery and glass-making during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Mothers and fathers know that each milestone a child crosses is one to be remembered and treasured. Baby books and calendars are good ways to track those milestones, but once your child reaches a certain age those trackers become outdated and you need to find other ways to mark their milestones. For boys, trophies and photographs may be ways to replace those baby books. For girls, a lovely charm bracelet is a wonderful way to mark each milestone.

Pewter is commonly used to prepare ornaments and other jewelry items and is very popular with millions of people from across the globe. The main ingredient in pewter is tin, which is a very soft metal that makes jewelry made from pewter relatively soft as well. However they are easy to maintain and with little care can be made to last for several years.

Pewter is a remarkable metal. Having been sought after by humankind at least since a century or three before the sandals of Jesus himself were slapping the dusty paths of the Holy Land, pewter was at one time a financially valuable metal. Now, although pewter is no longer as costly as it once was, it is still loved around the globe for the same reasons it has always been: it is soft, malleable and perfect for carving, hammering, tapping, and shaping.

Whether you are expecting guests for a long-planned dinner or even for an impromptu dinner over the weekend, an important component that is sure to impress guests and family members is a well-planned dining table.

Some of us might remember the late-night commercials for a Civil War chess set where all the pieces were made from pewter. The commercials were very well done professionally and gave the impression that pewter was truly a special material.

Oil lamps have evolved right alongside mankind as the both of us have explored the world, built empires, watched them crumble, and seeked out new lands.

Pewter is one of the best materials to create some wonderful custom pieces that will remain with you or your family and friends forever.

Hampshire Pewter launches new website.