The Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

Among the more unusual silver objects produced by Links of London, the sommelier tastevin stands apart immediately. It belongs to a much older European wine tradition, yet in sterling silver and with its original Links of London presentation, it also sits very comfortably within the house’s late twentieth-century silver world. This is not a charm, a tag or a personal ornament. It is a proper silver object with a specific historic function, and that alone gives it a distinct place within the archive.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

The tastevin is formed in the traditional shallow bowl shape associated with wine tasting, with a broad circular body, a ring handle and a richly worked interior. At its centre is a raised dome, surrounded by a ring of small bosses and a series of scalloped and fluted sections around the outer field. Those details are not incidental. They are part of the classic tastevin form, giving the silver surface variation, reflectivity and visual depth. In sterling silver, the object has both utility and presence, which is what makes the form so enduring.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

A Traditional Form in a Links of London Context

What makes this piece especially interesting is the way it brings an older wine-service object into the Links of London language. The tastevin is traditionally associated with sommeliers and cellars rather than modern jewellery houses, yet Links of London handled it with enough confidence that it feels entirely coherent within the wider silver offering of the period. The proportions are clean, the finish is controlled, and the object reads as something made to be used, held and appreciated rather than merely displayed.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

That sense of utility matters. Links of London often worked best when it produced silver objects that felt complete in themselves, whether or not they belonged to the more familiar world of charms and accessories. The sommelier tastevin is one of those pieces. It has a purpose, a shape shaped by that purpose, and a visual language that comes directly from function rather than applied decoration.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

The Interior and Its Reflective Character

The interior is where the tastevin does most of its work, both visually and historically. The raised central dome catches and redirects light, while the surrounding bosses and fluted sections break up reflections across the silver surface. Even without stepping too heavily into the history of cellar practice, it is obvious that this is an object designed around the behaviour of light on metal. The bowl is not plain because it was never meant to be plain.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

That complexity of surface is what gives the piece its sculptural interest. From above, it reads almost like a small study in repeated forms: curved, circular, scalloped and radiating. From the side, it remains compact and contained. The combination is particularly satisfying because the tastevin is both ornamental and entirely functional in logic. Every feature appears deliberate.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

Hallmarked for 1998

This example is hallmarked Links London, LL and 925 and carries a date letter for 1998. That places it within a period when the house was producing silver with a degree of range and confidence that extended beyond jewellery alone. The date is useful because it fixes the piece firmly in that period while also giving it the quiet authority of a documented Links of London object rather than a later interpretation of the form.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

In a piece such as this, the hallmark matters not simply for authenticity, but for context. It anchors the tastevin within the house’s own silver history, showing that Links of London was willing to engage not only with charms and personal accessories, but also with more traditional silver forms whose histories predate the brand by centuries.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

Use, Condition and Survival

The survival of the original dust bag and gift box adds another layer to the piece. Objects of this kind often lose their original presentation over time, especially when they belong to a category outside the more frequently collected jewellery lines. Here, the fact that the tastevin remains accompanied by its original Links of London packaging helps preserve the period context of the object and reinforces its identity as a complete silver piece from the house.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

The condition also matters. Lightly polished to remove heavier tarnish, but left in unrestored vintage condition with some light tarnishing still present, the piece retains a more convincing sense of age than a fully over-polished surface would allow. That restraint suits the object well. A tastevin should not look clinically stripped of all history. Some softness in the silver is part of its character.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

Why the Tastevin Still Appeals

The appeal of the sommelier tastevin lies partly in its difference. Within the broader Links of London archive, it is not the most expected object, which is precisely why it is so compelling. It draws the house into a longer silver tradition and shows a willingness to make things that are neither purely decorative nor purely commercial in the obvious sense. It is a silver object with depth behind it.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

There is also something satisfying about the scale. At around seventy-one millimetres across, it is large enough to feel substantial in the hand, yet still compact enough to retain a sense of refinement. The ring handle, thumb rest and shallow bowl all work together to make the object feel resolved. It has weight, but not heaviness. It has detail, but not clutter.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

A Distinctive Piece Within the Archive

Within the wider Links of London story, the sterling silver sommelier tastevin occupies a distinct and rather elegant position. It shows the house engaging with one of the classic forms of silverware and doing so without losing its own sense of control and finish. The result is an object that feels at once traditional and recognisably of its period.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin

That is what gives it lasting interest. It is not simply a wine accessory, nor merely an unusual Links of London collectible. It is a well-made sterling silver object with a clear form, a clear purpose and a strong sense of continuity with older traditions of silver. In that respect, it says a great deal about the breadth of the house’s silver work at its best.

Vintage Links of London Sterling Silver Sommelier Tastevin