Antique Silver Heart Ring Box by William Comyns; Lily Design

Stunning heart shaped ring/ trinket box with William Comyns Lily design on the lid and similarly stylised feet. The inside of the lid is gilt lined, and there is space created in the refurbished velvet and silk lined box for 2 rings to be held securely and a void for other items. Hallmarked for London,1904, William Comyns. William Comyns was a celebrated London silversmith active from the late 19th century. The firm was established in London around 1858 when William Comyns purchased the business of Robert Tagg, an outworker of Rundell, Bridge & Co. After William Comyns entered his first mark in 1859, the firm expanded and gradually took up more premises, first on Beak Street, off Regent Street, and later in the area of Soho. In 1885 the name of the firm was changed to William Comyns & Sons when William Comyns’ two sons, Charles Harling Comyns and Richard Harling Comyns, joined the business and began to work in partnership with him. The objects created by the firm are frequently Rococo in influence and ornately decorated with embossed features. The pieces manufactured at the start of the 20th century are often decorated/ often feature elegant and fine Art Nouveau-style details. The firm produced large amounts of decorative silver items which were very popular and sold by many leading retailers of the time, including Tiffany & Co. and The Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company. To this day, items stamped with the ‘WC’ hallmark used by the firm remain highly collectable. Some items designed by the firm now formpart of the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.