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Viners was found in Sheffield, England in 1901 by Adolphe Viener. It became the largest manufacturer of cutlery in Britain and in the 1960s under Rubens Viner became a world leading company with subsidiaries in Ireland, France and Australia.
In the mid 1970s far eastern products where flooding the market and although Viners imported cutlery to finish the quality and standards fell. They went bust in 1985. The brand name was purchased by Oneida.
The traditional best dinner set cutlery has been silver. However silver tarnishes and is less practical than stainless steel. Viners, in the 1970s was a world leader. Even so most of the designs where not practical in that forks where so long you could bang your teeth and knives so blunt that they where incapable of cutting anything harder than margarine.
The Love Story design stood out. Not only a simply and brief pattern of flowers on the handles but a thin light shape, and the knifes do cut.
So, to match complement the Pyrex Chelsea dinner set we where given as a wedding present a six place setting. This was then turned into a 12 place and then18 place set later, including the fruit spoons and cake forks. Besides the larger sets, including those in wooden presentation boxes where sets of six and a single place setting of 7 pieces.
The Love Story cutlery is regularly sold at auction and full sets often have high starting bids. Even so, with care a full 6 place setting can be had for not very much. The timeless elegancy of the design and that so many where used only for 'best' means many sold are in near perfect like new condition. Don't buy for best - use them every day and enjoy one of the best cutlery ware of the 20th Century.
There are at least two periods of manufacture of the Love Story set. The later knives have a large V printed on the blade. I have the impression that the later ones are not as well made, with the flora pattern not as clearly defined.
According to the catalogue there was a tea pot, sugar bowl and milk jig as well as a tea tray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viners
Last updated 12th June 2010