Christening Set Nikolaus 925 Silver antique blackened — Christening Spoon + Cross Pendant

Saint Nicholas is the saint in Orthodoxy to whom parents entrust their children. He sits right here at the head of the spoon: an icon in a medallion, with a dark face, and a handle full of tendrils below. An Orthodox cross is attached to the eyelet. Both pieces come in a hinged case with a satin ribbon around the handle.

What's in the case

Two pieces with two different life paths. The spoon measures 11.3 centimeters and weighs around 13 grams — short enough for a child's hand, heavy enough to feel substantial. It stays in the house and later moves to the display cabinet. The cross pendant is two centimeters long and weighs one gram; it waits until the child is old enough to wear it. Together, the set weighs about 14 grams of 925 silver.

A chain is intentionally not included — parents decide on the length and timing. The same combination is also available in a partially gilded version, where the figure of the Saint is set in gold. Further combinations can be found under Baptism gift sets.

Nicholas the Wonderworker — why him of all people

Nicholas of Myra, called "Nicholas the Wonderworker" in the East, is the saint who is called upon first by children. He is considered the patron saint of children, travelers, and seafarers — and is thus the usual companion for a child who is just starting out in Orthodox families. On the medallion, the icon shows him in bishop's vestments, his right hand raised in blessing, the Gospel in his left. To the right and left are the Cyrillic abbreviations for "Saint Nicholas, Wonderworker".

The handle below does not bear a child's motif, but rather pierced tendrils in old Russian ornamentation — the same design language known from icon frames. The set is therefore not limited to boys or girls: no pink, no blue, just silver and the dark drawing. Related pieces can be found under Orthodox gifts in 925 silver.

This spoon shape is available with three different icons — in addition to this motif with the Kazan Mother of God and with Christ Pantocrator. The spoon body is the same for all; the medallion on the handle head is exchanged, and with it, the blessing on the back. Those who have several godchildren can thus choose three related yet different gifts.

The antique blackening — and what it is not

The depressions between the tendrils and in the icon medallion are set off in dark tones. This makes the figure and the ornament stand out plastically because light and shadow are no longer absorbed by the polished silver. This is achieved by a superficial blackening, with which the manufacturer deliberately ages the piece in advance.

There are two things you should know about this. First, this is not Niello. Niello is a black metal paste that is melted into recessed lines and firmly bonded to the silver — a completely different technique that originated in Veliky Ustyug. The blackening here is on the surface. Second, it is not a lacquer or paint, so it cannot peel off, and at the same time acts as a protective layer against further darkening — the piece will look the same in five years as it does today. The raised areas can be carefully brightened with a silver polishing cloth without the depressions becoming lighter.

The spoon and cross are made of 925 silver without any additional coating and are hand-polished to a mirror finish with cotton wheels — without rhodium plating. What you see is the silver itself.

Consecrated in Kolchugino

The pieces in this series are consecrated before delivery — by the local Orthodox community of the Svyato-Pokrovsky Church in Kolchugino, Vladimir region, Aleksandrov Eparchy of the Moscow Patriarchate. A small certificate to that effect is included in the case.

For Orthodox families, this is often the point at which a baptismal gift differs from a pretty spoon.

How to recognize genuine silver

Each piece comes with a sealed tag from the factory. It states the manufacturer, designation, item number, silver weight, and a unique identification number (UIN). In addition, there is the stamped 925 hallmark, the manufacturer's name stamp, the ArgentA mark, and the quality control stamp.

The name stamp is clearly structured: the first letter stands for the year of manufacture, the second for the responsible state inspection body, and the rest for the company. The UIN also allows the piece to be looked up in the state register for precious metals. Sounds technical — but in everyday life, it's precisely what demonstrably makes the difference between silver and silver-plated.

The reverse side: blessing, tendrils, and space for a name

The spoon is also designed on the back — you only see that when you turn it over. On the back of the medallion is an embossed blessing in four lines of Cyrillic script: "Святителю отче Николае, моли Бога о мне" — "Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for me." This is the traditional Orthodox invocation of the Saint, as spoken in prayer. The Saint is thus depicted on one side and mentioned in words on the other.

The back of the bowl features a circumferential border of delicate spiral tendrils, enclosing a mirror-polished central field and converging into a denser tendril motif at the tip of the spoon. A detail that no one sees while eating — and yet it is there. This is precisely how one recognizes a piece that was not built merely for the first glance.

In between, on the back of the handle below the medallion, the surface remains deliberately smooth and mirror-polished. This is where there is space for an engraving: a short name, and if written compactly, the baptismal date below it. More will not fit — the handle tapers downwards. But that is exactly enough for the one line that makes a gift a specific gift.

You can see all three places without holding the spoon: In the image gallery above, there is a product video in which the set is rotated — first the front with the icon, then the back with the blessing, engraving area, and tendril border. The detailed panel in the gallery also shows the same three places in close-up.

The Orthodox Cross

The pendant is small yet fully crafted: the ends of the beams terminate in a clover shape, the corpus sits in relief in the center, and below it, the ornament continues to the base. The three-leaved ends symbolize the Trinity in Christian iconography; this form is widespread in Orthodox baptismal crosses. The surface remains brightly polished — without enamel, without gilding.

Care: to preserve the design

After use, warm water, mild dish soap, and a soft cloth are sufficient. No dishwasher, no abrasive cleaners, and above all no silver dip cleaner — such a bath would dissolve the dark depressions and remove exactly what makes the piece special. A silver polishing cloth on the raised areas is perfectly sufficient. This is explained in detail in our silver care instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Baptism Set

From what age is the spoon suitable?
As eating cutlery from the age of complementary feeding. It is usually given earlier — for baptism, often as early as birth.

Does the blackening wash off?
No. The blackening is not a color or lacquer, but a surface treatment of the silver. Warm water and dish soap do not harm it. Only silver dip cleaners are taboo.

Is the set for a girl or a boy?
For both. It does not use colored enamel and is gender-neutral — practical if you are gifting before birth or do not know the gender.

Is the set also suitable for a Catholic or Protestant baptism?
Yes. Saint Nicholas is venerated in all three denominations, and a cross is a cross. The craftsmanship has an Orthodox character — those who consciously seek this will find exactly that here; those who do not will still receive a classic baptismal gift.

Does a chain come with it?
No. The set includes the spoon and pendant; parents will choose a chain later to match the child's age.

Can the spoon be engraved?
Yes — technically, engraving is possible on this spoon, but it can only be ordered upon request. Both go together and one does not restrict the other:

Technically: The back of the handle below the medallion is smooth and mirror-polished — a free surface precisely for this purpose. There is space for a short first name; if written compactly, the baptismal date can also fit below. Around 20 characters is the guideline, not a firm promise: The handle tapers downwards, so the writing style also matters.

Ordering: Engraving cannot be added directly to the shopping cart in the shop. Please contact us briefly before ordering — we will coordinate the text, writing style, and placement and confirm what fits on this piece. This way, we won't promise anything that cannot be realized in the end.

Not engravable are the back of the medallion (where the embossed blessing is), the back of the spoon bowl (where the tendril border runs), and the cross pendant (2 cm in size and crafted on both sides).

How else can the set be personalized?
With a SilberVerse card: a printed card with a verse or dedication that accompanies the gift. How this works is described under About SilberVerse. Card and engraving can be combined.

Is there a product video?
Yes, in the image gallery above. The set is rotated and shown up close — front with the icon, back with blessing, engraving area, and tendril border, plus the cross pendant separately. Anyone who wants to know how the piece feels in hand and how big it really is will see it more clearly there than in any still image.

Is silver safe for a baby?
925 Sterling silver has been common for cutlery for centuries and is nickel-free. Like any children's cutlery, the spoon should be used under supervision; the pendant, due to its size, is not for infants.