Welsh Lovespoons
In the old days in Wales, a young man would carve a fancy spoon to give to the girl that he wanted to court. (The expression "to spoon" comes from this custom.) It was important to prove to the potential father-in-law that the young man was good at working with wood, because he would have to make all his family's furniture, dishes and eating utensils. The symbols carved into the spoon's handle all had meanings; each of our lovespoons comes with a tag that explains these. Hearts are for love, of course. Bells are for the hoped-for wedding. A horseshoe is for luck (in Wales, a bride and groom are always given a horseshoe on their wedding day). A wheel promised, "I will work for you." Balls in a cage could mean either the number of children hoped for, or the number of years together. And so forth; there is a long list of possible symbols.
Today lovespoons are often given as wedding and anniversary gifts; however, they are also given for birthdays, baby gifts, friendship, Christmas, etc. They are considered to be folk craft items first, and, under the right circumstances, romantic items as well. The spoons on this page are all made in Wales.
There is a tag with all lovespoons on this page (except the mini LV 23), giving some information on the custom of the lovespoon.
Our mini lovespoons for wedding favors are shown on a separate page.
Lovespoons by Richard Downes of Swansea
The spoons shown below are hand carved in Wales by Richard Downes.
LV20
(left). This lovely spoon is topped by a Welsh dragon, standing on a heart, a daffodil
(the Welsh flower) and a harp (the Welsh national instrument). Each is
signed on the back with his signature "R" and comes with a tag giving
information on the tradition of the Welsh lovespoon. 15" long overall. $103.
(out of stock)
LV21A (right)This spoon has wedding bells above two hearts,
with Celtic interlace. You can carve the names of the bride and groom on the hearts, and
the wedding date. (We regret that we do not do this.) Each is signed on the
back with his signature "R" and comes with a tag giving information on the
tradition of the Welsh lovespoon. About 10 3/4" overall. $55
LV21B. Same spoon as LV21A, but smaller. Each is signed on the back with
his signature "R" and comes with a tag giving information on the tradition of
the Welsh lovespoon. About 8 3/4" overall. $40
LV22A. New!
Dragon, hearts and Celtic interlace. 11" long overall. $65
LV22B. Same spoon, but smaller, 8 1/4" long. $47
We are currently out of stock on both of these lovespoons, but are reordering.
LV23A. At the top, a cross for
faith, two hearts and Celtic interlace. This is a mini lovespoon, shown oversize
for clarity. Under 4" long. $8
LV23B. Mini lovespoon with two bells
and two hearts. 3 3/4" long. $8
LV23C. (Photo to come) Mini lovespoon with two hearts, twisted stem and a trio of ribbon curls on top. 3 3/4" long. $8
Lovespoons by Paul Curtis
Hand Carved in South Wales
LV30. (Far left) Dragon atop two large hearts. 11" long overall. $89
LV31. (Center) Wedding bell spoon is 12" long overall, including the links at the top. $64
LV32. (Immediate left) Hearts spoon is 10" long. Out of stock.
LV33. (Far left) Fifth-wedding-anniversary lovespoon (wood is for the fifth, remember?) has a five carved into it. 9 1/2" long. $27
LV34. (Center) Cross with interlocking hearts lovespoon is 9 3/4" long. $37
LV35. (Immediate left) Interlocking hearts lovespoon is 7 5/8" long. Out of stock.
LV36. (Far left) Open reverse hearts lovespoon is 7" long. $10
LV37. (Center) There are two reverse hearts if you look carefully at this somewhat unusual spoon design. 6" long. $10
LV38. (Immediate left) Cross and heart lovespoon is 6 1/4" long. $10
Lovespoons by Carl Milliner of Wales
These handcarved lovespoons have a primitive style of carving.
LV40 (far left). Dragon and square cross.
9 3/4"overall. $49
LV41 (second from left). Large daffodil. 11 1/4" overall. $38
LV42 (third from left). Wedding lovespoon: hearts, horseshoe and bells. In
Wales, a horseshoe represents good luck, and the bride and groom are usually
given one for their new home. 12 1/4" overall. $38
LV43 (immediate left). Small daffodil. 7 1/4" overall. $23
LV44. This very nice lovespoon with a dragon surrounded by Celtic interlace could be called the mother of all lovespoons (OK, we couldn't resist). Since these are hand carved, each one has slightly different carving detail. It's 13" long and 6 1/4" wide. $150
The John Arnold Handcarved Lovespoons
(Cillacraft Company)
The beautiful LV lovespoons below by Cillacraft are carved from
mahogany in Wales, with oil finish. The color is natural, not stained. These spoons are hand
carved (unlike some spoons that are hand finished),
and
come with a tag briefly explaining the history and meaning of
lovespoons. Note: we are currently unable to get more of these spoons. As supplies last,
we have only the ones shown.
Numbered from left to right in the picture at left:
LV15: Open heart at top supported by ribbon curls;
two solid hearts below. About 8 1/2" long. $26
LV16: Two solid hearts and two bells with an open heart on top. About 8 1/2" long.
$26
LV17: Two solid hearts and a bell, with an open heart on top. About 8 1/2" long. $26
Small Lovespoons in Two sizes
About 5 1/2" long, dark wood, available in the four designs shown at left.
Folded color-printed tag (see below) with information on the lovespoon is included with
each spoon. Made in Wales. $6 each, or $5.50 each for 10 or more.
From left to right: LV60, LV61, LV62, and LV63.
About 7" long, dark wood in the three designs shown at left. Folded color-printed tag (see below) with information on the lovespoon is included with each spoon. Made in Wales. $9 each, $8 each for 10 or more.
From left to right: LV70, LV71 and LV72.
This folded tag is the one given with the small
lovespoons above. It's about 2" square. Inside is a statement of the meaning of the
lovespoon, and a place to write to/from names. On the back is a list of some common
meanings for lovespoon symbols.The tag can be bought separately @ 50 cents each.
Our mini lovespoons for wedding favors are shown on a separate page.
Lovespoon Gift Boxes
We've often been asked about these, and they are finally
available in two sizes. Both sizes have the same design and information; on one side is
the legend of the lovespoon, and on the other side is a listing of 20 symbols and their
significance.
Small lovespoon box: 9" x 3" x 1 1/2". $1.50 each
Large lovespoon box: 12" x 5" x 1 1/2". $2.50 each
Booklet About Lovespoons
This makes a nice item to give along with your lovespoon.
The booklet, Lovespoons From Wales, by D. C. Perkins, covers the origin of the custom of giving lovespoons, the giving of lovespoons today, and the many symbols and their meanings. There are also several pages devoted to a glossary of terms associated with the making of lovespoons. Colored photos and black-and-white drawings of many lovespoons. 24pp. $7
Ordering information and Order form
If you do not receive a reply from us within a day or
so after sending in an order on the order form, or after emailing a question, please
contact us again, as our reply may have been thrown in your
spam bin or may have returned to us. Exceptions: weekends
or when we note on our front page that we are
closed for any reason.
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Tel 607-756-7372 Fax/Ans mach 607-756-0366
Limewood Lovespoons
The five lovespoons shown below are made in Wales, of a Welsh wood that they call lime, but we call linden. They are stained a dark oak color, and feel smooth to the touch, as all edges are rounded. These spoons all come with a tag briefly explaining the history and meaning of lovespoons.
We are out of stock on all of these for the moment. We expect to get more.
From
left to right:
LV50. 12" long.
LV51. 11 1/2" long.
LV52. 10 1/2" long.
LV53. 10" long.
LV54. 8" long.
