This pair of tongs is a lovely pair of early Irish tongs. The bowls are cast and soldered onto the arms which are concave and engraved with lovely flower patterns at the tops and bottoms. A circular cartouche has been left at the bow. One of the bowls has been touched up with solder. This looks as if it may have been done at the time of manufacture as that bowl is thinner where the solder shows, perhaps there was not quite enough silver poured into the mold at that point. I have dated them c1780 but could be a little earlier.