George III Sterling Silver Tea Urn with Coat of Arms

• Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.
  
  Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.
  
  In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.
  
  In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.
  
  The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.
  
  Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory
• George Iii - George III (1738 - 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820.
• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
  
  Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
• East India Company - The British East India Company was a British trading company that was active from 1600 to 1858. It was one of the leading commercial enterprises of its time and played a key role in the development of British trade and commerce with India, China, and Southeast Asia.
  
  The British East India Company was granted a monopoly on trade with the East Indies by the English government, and it quickly established a network of trading posts and settlements throughout India and Southeast Asia. The company was involved in numerous wars and conflicts in India and Southeast Asia, and it gradually gained political influence over large parts of the region.
  
  
  In addition to its commercial activities, the British East India Company was also involved in the spread of British culture and influence in the regions it traded with. The company played a significant role in the introduction of British goods, ideas, and institutions in India and Southeast Asia, and it was instrumental in the establishment of the British Empire in India.
  The British East India Company was dissolved in 1858, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
  
  
  
  
  The Dutch East India Company, also known as the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), was a Dutch trading company that was active from 1602 to 1798. It was one of the first multinational corporations in the world and one of the largest commercial enterprises in history.
  
  The Dutch East India Company was established with the goal of establishing a trade monopoly in the spice trade with the East Indies. The company was granted a 21-year monopoly on the Dutch spice trade, and it quickly became one of the most successful and powerful trading companies in the world.
  
  Over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch East India Company expanded its reach and influence throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Far East. The company established a network of trading posts and colonies, and it played a major role in the commercial and political development of many regions in Asia.
  
  Despite its commercial success, the Dutch East India Company was also notorious for its ruthless treatment of local populations and its exploitation of resources. The company was involved in numerous conflicts and wars throughout its history, and it was accused of using slave labor and engaging in acts of piracy.
  
  The Dutch East India Company was dissolved in 1798.
• Engraving - The method of decorating or creating inscriptions on silver and other metal objects by marking the surface with a sharp instrument such as a diamond point or rotating cutting wheel.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• American / United States silver - silver tea and coffee pots 11
• Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company Ltd., London - silver items 127
• Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleonic era - collectables and memorabilia 136
• Rundell, Bridge & Rundell (London) - silver, maker or retailer 5
• samovars and tea urns - silver items 12
• Scott, Digby and Benjamin Smith II (London) - silver, maker or retailer 17
• Smith II, Benjamin (London) - silver, maker or retailer 10
• Smith III, James (London) - silver, maker or retailer 2
• Storr, Paul (England) - silver, maker or retailer 71
• tea pots - silver items 742
• urns - silver items 15