“From a New Year’s feast inspired by the novels of Charles and Catherine Dickens, to seasonal decorating ideas from Selina Lake featuring rich pomegranate reds and swathes of natural greenery, to four homes brimming with personality and festive cheer, there’s plenty to delight and intrigue in this issue. We’ve also hand-picked 25 of the best online boutiques selling antiques, vintage and artisan goodies, and Caroline Wheater rounds up some key auctions over the next six months to pop in your diary. Plus we hope you’ll enjoy our collecting features on Bristol Blue glass, napkin rings, tartanware and glittering gold antiques. A Very Merry Christmas!”

The company began operating as Roberts, Cadman & Co. in 1784, when Samuel Roberts Sr., being the distinguished silversmith himself, decided to build new works for his son at Nº9, Eyre Street in Sheffield. Samuel Roberts Jr. and his partner George Cadman, who had been the apprentice of Roberts Sr., started the production of silver tableware, cutlery and Old Sheffield plate pieces of excellent quality.

The founder of brand name, Nathaniel Mills, the elder registered the maker's mark at the Birmingham Assay Office in 1803 while being a partner in "Mills and Langston, Jewellers Northwood".

One of the most iconic jewellery brands, Tiffany & Co's history begins from a small store that was opened on Broadway, New York in 1837. Two school friends Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young started to sell stationery, fancy souvenirs, china and haberdashery. In 1841 the company got a new partner, J.L. Ellis, who suggested selling silverware, jewellery and clocks. The firm changed its name to Tiffany, Young and Ellis.

"Jeweller of Kings, King of Jewellers"- these famous words belong to King Edward VII, when he expressed his attitude to Cartier, the extraordinary French jewellery and watches manufacturer.

Miyamoto Shoko was one of the most prolific Japanese silversmiths and retailers at the turn of the 20th century. In 1880, the founder of the firm Masaru Miyamoto started his business in Tokyo as the salesman of silver cigarette cases and tobacco to foreigners.

During the reign of Queen Victoria, the dinner party became an important part of social life, especially so for the Upper and emerging middle-class families, they began to pay great attention not only to the meals but also to the ceremony and theatrics surrounding them.

At the end of the 19th century, Rudolf Linke was a respectable silversmith and enameller in Vienna. His workshop specialised in silver tableware, table centrepieces and jewellery, designed mostly in Neo-Renaissance style, also called Historismus.

Vasily Agafonov (in Russian Василий Семенович Агафонов) was a prominent silversmith and goldsmith in Moscow. He had a workshop producing silverware, decorative objects and jewellery.

Andrei Bragin (in Russian Андрей Степанович Брагин) was one of the most respected and accomplished silversmiths in Saint-Petersburg at the turn of the century. He finished his apprenticeship in 1852 and opened his own workshop in 1888.

Joseph Carl von Klinkosch was one of the finest Viennese silversmiths of the late 19th century. He apprenticed in his father's workshop between 1825 and 1839 and became a certified silversmith in 1844.

Kwong Hing Loong & Co is one of the most remarkable Chinese Export Silver retailers. The firm occupied large premises both in Hong Kong and Singapore, where they manufactured and retailed high-quality silver and gold jewellery, silverware, and watches of all kinds.

The respectable firm Würbel & Czocally was founded in Vienna by Vincenz Czokally in 1864. Vincenz Czokally specialized in centrepieces, tankards, candelabras, objects of vertu in the late Historicism style. Inspired by the Neo-Baroque motifs, Szokally works were highly appreciated at the Court of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.

Huang Qiu Ji was an important silversmith in Shanghai and Beijing, whose outstanding enamel silver works had left a significant mark in Chinese silver design. According to Chinese Export Silver expert Adrien Von Ferscht, Huang Qiu Ji (original Cantonese name is Wong Kau Gei) is considered to be one of the most favoured Chinese silver marks nowadays (A. Von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, 4th edition 2015).

As is common with the Imperial Russian mid-level workshops not much is known about the silversmith Ivan Saltykov (in Russian Иван Салтыков). Nowadays his high-quality silverworks are much appreciated. His mark is sometimes mistaken for the mark of Ignaty Sazikov.

Discovered in the New World, tobacco was first introduced in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, but only in the mid-1500s smoking quickly gained popularity. In the 17th century, a pulverized tobacco for inhaling (snuff) became a fashionable custom among the nobility and upper classes at the expense of pipe-smoking. The snuff fame spread from the French Royal Court to England, Scotland, Ireland, and throughout Europe, and even as far as Japan, China and later the Russian Empire.

Woshing was an important manufacturing and retailing silversmith in Shanghai and Canton. Common mistakes in the transliteration of Chinese silver marks in English caused several names for Woshing, such as Wo Shing, Woo Shing and Wah Shing.

William Comyns, one of the most remarkable London silversmiths established his company at the end of 1858, after finishing his apprenticeship with George J. Richards. He bought the premises of Robert Tagg in 2 Carlise Street, Soho, London, where he entered his first mark (W.C into a four tipped oval) in 1859.

The first silversmith of the honourable Weishaupt dynasty was Anton Weishaupt. He became a partner in the Leismiller company in 1801. The Leismiller family had owned the Licence to practice as a silversmith from the Munich Magistrate's Court since 1692. In 1802 Anton took over the business after the last of Leismillers was retired and continued to work with their original licences.

La Maison Couquaux, or House of Couquaux was founded by Francois-Theophile Couquaux at 402, Rue St.-Honore Paris. The firm was active in the 1870s and 1880s. Not much is known about this silversmith and goldsmith, except that he was warmly admired for the quality of his figural works and religious objects in the last decades of the 19th century.