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

In Orthodoxy, Saint Nicholas is the saint to whom parents entrust their children. It is he who sits here at the head of the spoon: an icon in a medallion, the face darkly highlighted, with a handle full of vines below. Included is an Orthodox cross at the loop. Both pieces lie in a hinged case, 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 that it feels like something substantial. It remains in the house and later finds its way into a 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 brings about 14 grams of 925 silver to the scale.

A chain is deliberately not included — parents decide on the length and timing. The same compilation is also available in a partially gold-plated version, where the figure of the saint is finished in gold. Further combinations can be found under Baptism gift sets.

Nicholas the Wonderworker — why him of all people

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

The handle below does not bear a children's motif, but rather openwork vines in the Old Russian ornamental style — the same design language found in icon frames. The set is therefore not defined for boys or girls: no pink, no blue, only silver and the dark detailing. Related pieces can be found under Orthodox gifts made of 925 silver.

This spoon design is available with three different icons — besides this motif, there is the Kazan Mother of God and Christ Pantocrator. The spoon body is the same for all; the medallion on the handle head is swapped, along with the blessing on the back. If you have several godchildren, you can choose three gifts that belong together yet remain distinct.

Antique blackening — and what it is not

The depressions between the vines and in the icon medallion are darkly highlighted. This makes the figure and the ornament stand out sculpturally because light and shadow are no longer absorbed by the polished silver. This is achieved through a superficial blackening with which the manufactory deliberately pre-ages the piece.

There are two things you should know about this. Firstly: this is not niello. Niello is a black metal paste that is fused into recessed lines and is firmly bonded to the silver — a completely different technique that is at home in Veliky Ustyug. The blackening here lies on the surface. Secondly, it is not lacquer or paint, so it cannot peel off, and it acts at the same time as a protective layer against further tarnishing — the piece will look in five years just as it does today. The high points 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 further coating and polished by hand with cotton buffs to a mirror finish — without rhodium plating. What you see is therefore the silver itself.

Consecrated in Kolchugino

The pieces in this series are consecrated before delivery — by the local Orthodox parish of the Holy Protection Church in Kolchugino, Vladimir region, Eparchy of Alexandrov of the Moscow Patriarchate. A small certificate to this effect is included in the case.

For Orthodox families, this is often the point at which a baptism gift becomes more than just a pretty spoon.

Label and identification

Every piece comes from the factory with a sealed label attached. It contains the manufacturer, the description, the item number, the silver weight, and a unique identification number (UIN). In addition, there is the hallmark of the manufactory, the mark of ArgentA, and the quality control stamp.

The hallmark is structured to be readable: the first letter stands for the year of manufacture, the second for the responsible state assay office, and the others for the facility. Using the UIN, the piece can additionally be looked up in the state register for precious metals.

The back: Blessing, vines, and space for a name

The spoon is also fully designed on the back — you only see this when you turn it over. On the back of the medallion is a raised 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. Thus, the saint is represented in image on one side and in word on the other.

The back of the bowl features a surrounding border of fine spiral vines that frame a mirror-polished center panel and converge into a denser vine motif at the tip of the spoon. A detail that no one sees while eating — yet it is still there. That is exactly how you recognize a piece that was not built to look good only at first glance.

In between, on the back of the handle below the medallion, the surface is deliberately left smooth and mirror-polished. Here is space for an engraving: a short name, and with brief writing, the baptism date as well. More will not fit — the handle tapers downwards. But exactly that is enough for the one line that turns a gift into a specific, personal gift.

You can see all three spots without holding the spoon in your hand: in the image gallery above, there is a product video in which the set is turned — first the front with the icon, then the back with the blessing, engraving surface, and vine border. Additionally, the detail panel in the gallery shows the same three spots as close-ups.

The Orthodox cross

The pendant is small and yet fully worked: the ends of the crossbar finish in a clover shape, in the middle sits the corpus in relief, and below it, the ornament continues to the foot. In Christian iconography, the trefoil ends stand for the Trinity; this form is widespread in Orthodox baptismal crosses. The surface remains brightly polished — without enamel, without gold plating.

Care: so that the detailing remains

After use, warm water, mild dish soap, and a soft cloth are sufficient. No dishwasher, no scouring agents, and above all no silver dip bath — such a bath would dissolve the dark depressions and take away from the piece exactly what makes it special. A silver polishing cloth on the high points is perfectly sufficient. This is explained in detail in our care instructions for silver.

Frequently asked questions about the baptism set

At what age is the spoon suitable?
As cutlery from the age of starting solid food. It is usually gifted earlier — for the baptism, often even for the birth.

Does the blackening come off when washing?
No. The blackening is not paint or lacquer, but a superficial treatment of the silver. Warm water and dish soap do not harm it. Only silver dip baths are off-limits.

Is the set for a girl or a boy?
For both. It manages without colored enamel and is gender-neutral — practical if you are gifting before the 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 look for this will find exactly that here; those who do not are still getting a classic baptism gift.

Is a chain included?
No. The set contains a spoon and pendant; parents choose the chain later to suit the age.

Can the spoon be engraved?
Yes — technically an engraving is possible on this spoon, but it can only be ordered after consultation. Both belong together and it is not a restriction of one by the other:

Technically: The back of the handle below the medallion is smooth and mirror-polished — a free space exactly for this purpose. There is space for a short first name; with concise lettering, the baptism date also fits underneath. About 20 characters is the guideline, not a firm promise: the handle tapers downwards, so the typeface also determines what fits.

Ordering process: In the shop, the engraving cannot be added directly to the shopping cart. Send us a quick note before ordering — we will coordinate the text, lettering style, and placement and confirm to you what fits on this piece. That way, we don't promise anything that won't end up fitting.

The back of the medallion (where the raised blessing is), the back of the bowl (where the vine border runs), and the cross pendant (2 cm in size and fully worked on both sides) cannot be engraved.

How else can the set be made personal?
Via a SilberVerse card: a printed card with a verse or dedication that accompanies the gift. How that works is explained under About SilberVerse. Card and engraving can be combined.

Is there a product video?
Yes, in the image gallery above. The set is rotated in it and shown up close — front with the icon, back with the blessing, engraving surface, and vine border, plus the cross pendant individually. If you want to know how the piece feels in the hand and how big it really is, you can see that there more clearly than on any static image.

What should I look out for regarding silver for a baby?
925 sterling silver consists of 92.5% fine silver and has been customary for cutlery for centuries. Like all children's cutlery, the spoon belongs in supervised hands; the pendant is not for infants due to its size.