Sugar Tongs

The sole purpose of this almost flawlessly designed device is to remove a broken lump of sugar from its designated vessel, transport it a few inches, and place it in one's cup of tea. While the earliest sugar tongs were miniature versions of the common fireplace tongs but in silver, this type incorporates a scissor-like hinge and may have been inspired by the scissor-type candle snuffer. These tongs were all the rage during the middle decades of the 18th century, and they were made by some of the most accomplished urban silversmiths in colonial America, like this example by Joseph Richardson, Sr.
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