Tavares 19225

Silver, shell, and a hundred years of Póvoa de Varzim.

Founded
1922
Based in
Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Made from
Silver, natural shell

5 pieces

Meet the Maker

Tavares has kept the same address, Rua da Junqueira 54, in Póvoa de Varzim, a fishing town north of Porto, since 1922. In the early years, fishermen's wives came to number 54 to buy gold, the one form of security they could hold while the boats were out. A century on, it is still a family house, and the sea still sets the terms.

The Shell Collection is the house's silver line, and the sea is all over it: real shells, no two alike, set in silver and put to work as ladles, sugar bowls, and one very good gravy boat. Each piece is singular because each shell is. Made to be passed around the table, then passed down.

Pairs well with

The shells came from the Atlantic. The rest of the table came from Vienna, New York, and San Francisco.

Care & Ritual

Made to be used

Tarnish is what happens to pieces left in the cabinet. A soft cloth after dinner, a proper polish twice a year, and the shine takes care of itself.

The shells ask even less: keep them away from the dishwasher and they will outlast the table.