We accept...

A brief look at the
History of Welsh Love Spoons

A gift of love or affection, Love Spoons are used for many occasions where romance is in the air, from engagements to weddings, anniversaries to birthdays, friendship or valentine, christenings and even farewell or parting gifts and Christmas presents, in fact any occasion when someone wants to show that they care for someone or loves another - in a thoughtful, romantic or even, a loving way.

Giving gifts of handcrafted spoons to symbolise affection and love is a craft tradition in Wales which has it's roots in the 17th century with the oldest surviving example of a love spoon dating back to 1667. Celtic handmade love spoons were often quite plain but over the years they have become quite elaborate, decorative and intricate.

The spoon was the main eating utensil of the day so the giver was also representing that he would take care of the lady.

Another, growing use in the twenty first century is as a unique parting, farewell or leaving gift or present with perhaps, diamond and heart symbols to say “I wish you good fortune and you will always stay in my heart.” Accompanied by a card which we can produce, this kind of gift is sure to be fondly and long remembered.

In these times we cannot overlook the growing collectible market. These unique and highly collectable items are much sought after, with some spoons attracting quite high prices. New editions of these handcrafted spoons from known makers are highly sought after and can attract premium prices.

Hand carved from one piece of wood, the carver would present a love spoon to a lady to show his interest in her, quite often as a precursor to courtship or engagement.

If the lady accepted the spoon then she accepted his interest.

Other spoons might be given as the relationship developed to represent further interest or intentions - as it would hardly be appropriate to give a spoon to someone only seen at a distance with perhaps a bell and 3 balls in a cage! - which could be taken to mean marriage and three children!

The giver would show his skill by carving different symbols in the wood, each symbol representing a promise. These symbols were usually drawn from life situations, for example, sailors might use the nautical symbols of an anchor or a ships wheel while others would use images drawn from their environment such as flowers or leaves.