Matched pair of iron spurs with large rotating 8-point rowels; original hooks for fastening to the leather straps. These were made in the fashion of decorated English sword hilts of the mid 17^th C and one can easily see the same style of workmanship. First the basic form of the spurs were fashioned of iron, then the detail was hand chiseled. The silver design was made by first chiseling a grove in the iron following the basic contours of the design. The iron was then heat blackened. Solid silver was then pressed into the groves and it was shaped to its final configuration. The process was quite time-consuming and required the use of more silver than did later gilding processes. While the additional silver content made the silver stand up to wear better than gilt surfaces, it did have the disadvantage that extreme use could cause the silver to fall out of the grooves. These spurs show little use and, as such, retain almost all of their original silver inlay. Some wear to the blackening. Such spurs were very expensive in their day and would have only been worn by a gentleman or wealthier officer. Overall length 6", rowel diameter 2 1/8"