Outstanding 4 Person Set of WMF Finesse Cromargan Germany Flatware aka William Fraser
After handling thousands of pieces in this pattern, including dozens of sets, I recently located something truly special. It was an 8-person set that looks like it was possibly never used. Maybe it was carefully used a very few number of times. In my experience, WMF’s proprietary Cromargen blend of steel is more stain-resistant than other blends of stainless steel. I think I am not the only one who thought that stainless means that the steel be impervious to staining. This is not true. The original idea behind stainless is that it literally stains LESS than other forms of steel. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is possible to stain stainless steel. There are many different formulas to make stainless steel, each with various amounts of chromium, nickel, iron and other metals. I find that Cromargan steel is less likely to be stained than other blends of stainless steel. In order to achieve this, there is a tradeoff. Cromargan steel seems to be softer than other varieties of stainless, which means that it tends to show more wear. This brings us back to the current set at hand. The near complete lack of wear on this extraordinary set indicates that it was only handled a few times over the years. I decided to split up the original set into two 4-person sets, each containing 20 pieces. You may choose to buy one or both sets.
Well now, since you have read all the above rambling so kindly, allow me to dispel another misconception. Despite the attributions of some resellers, WMF does NOT stand for William Fraser. WMF stands for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. I don’t speak German, but I think the name of the company roughly translates as “the place in Wurttemberg Germany that makes metal things.“ WMF rolls off the tongue much more easily. William Fraser is not the manufacturer. Fraser was an American importer of the flatware. Some WMF pieces are marked Fraser, which adds to the confusion. The pieces in this set are marked WMF — not Fraser. It is a treat to see a period set where all the pieces have matching markings — not pieces put together over the years.
This is a very desirable and timeless mid-century modern design, created by Kurt Mayer for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. Each piece was made in Germany. The Finesse pattern is also known as Jupiter.
All pieces were made with heavy, high quality, stainless steel. The knife blades are a slightly different alloy of stainless steel, therefore they often have tiny black spots. However, the knives in this beautiful set are spotless! Each piece is hand-finished and shows very minor variations. This set will look great on your table or in your collection.
This set is in extraordinary condition, with only the lightest signs of handling. Includes 4 each of the following pieces:
A Salad Fork measures about 7" long.
A Dinner Fork measures about 7-5/8" long.
A Dinner Knife measures about 8-5/16" long.
A Soup Spoon measures about 7-5/16" long.
A Tea Spoon measures about 6-3/16" long.
The pieces in this set are the typical sizes, as produced for the American market. I also have European settings available, which have different proportions. And I have dozens of additional extended and serving pieces. Please inquire.
After handling thousands of pieces in this pattern, including dozens of sets, I recently located something truly special. It was an 8-person set that looks like it was possibly never used. Maybe it was carefully used a very few number of times. In my experience, WMF’s proprietary Cromargen blend of steel is more stain-resistant than other blends of stainless steel. I think I am not the only one who thought that stainless means that the steel be impervious to staining. This is not true. The original idea behind stainless is that it literally stains LESS than other forms of steel. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is possible to stain stainless steel. There are many different formulas to make stainless steel, each with various amounts of chromium, nickel, iron and other metals. I find that Cromargan steel is less likely to be stained than other blends of stainless steel. In order to achieve this, there is a tradeoff. Cromargan steel seems to be softer than other varieties of stainless, which means that it tends to show more wear. This brings us back to the current set at hand. The near complete lack of wear on this extraordinary set indicates that it was only handled a few times over the years. I decided to split up the original set into two 4-person sets, each containing 20 pieces. You may choose to buy one or both sets.
Well now, since you have read all the above rambling so kindly, allow me to dispel another misconception. Despite the attributions of some resellers, WMF does NOT stand for William Fraser. WMF stands for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. I don’t speak German, but I think the name of the company roughly translates as “the place in Wurttemberg Germany that makes metal things.“ WMF rolls off the tongue much more easily. William Fraser is not the manufacturer. Fraser was an American importer of the flatware. Some WMF pieces are marked Fraser, which adds to the confusion. The pieces in this set are marked WMF — not Fraser. It is a treat to see a period set where all the pieces have matching markings — not pieces put together over the years.
This is a very desirable and timeless mid-century modern design, created by Kurt Mayer for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. Each piece was made in Germany. The Finesse pattern is also known as Jupiter.
All pieces were made with heavy, high quality, stainless steel. The knife blades are a slightly different alloy of stainless steel, therefore they often have tiny black spots. However, the knives in this beautiful set are spotless! Each piece is hand-finished and shows very minor variations. This set will look great on your table or in your collection.
This set is in extraordinary condition, with only the lightest signs of handling. Includes 4 each of the following pieces:
A Salad Fork measures about 7" long.
A Dinner Fork measures about 7-5/8" long.
A Dinner Knife measures about 8-5/16" long.
A Soup Spoon measures about 7-5/16" long.
A Tea Spoon measures about 6-3/16" long.
The pieces in this set are the typical sizes, as produced for the American market. I also have European settings available, which have different proportions. And I have dozens of additional extended and serving pieces. Please inquire.
After handling thousands of pieces in this pattern, including dozens of sets, I recently located something truly special. It was an 8-person set that looks like it was possibly never used. Maybe it was carefully used a very few number of times. In my experience, WMF’s proprietary Cromargen blend of steel is more stain-resistant than other blends of stainless steel. I think I am not the only one who thought that stainless means that the steel be impervious to staining. This is not true. The original idea behind stainless is that it literally stains LESS than other forms of steel. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is possible to stain stainless steel. There are many different formulas to make stainless steel, each with various amounts of chromium, nickel, iron and other metals. I find that Cromargan steel is less likely to be stained than other blends of stainless steel. In order to achieve this, there is a tradeoff. Cromargan steel seems to be softer than other varieties of stainless, which means that it tends to show more wear. This brings us back to the current set at hand. The near complete lack of wear on this extraordinary set indicates that it was only handled a few times over the years. I decided to split up the original set into two 4-person sets, each containing 20 pieces. You may choose to buy one or both sets.
Well now, since you have read all the above rambling so kindly, allow me to dispel another misconception. Despite the attributions of some resellers, WMF does NOT stand for William Fraser. WMF stands for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. I don’t speak German, but I think the name of the company roughly translates as “the place in Wurttemberg Germany that makes metal things.“ WMF rolls off the tongue much more easily. William Fraser is not the manufacturer. Fraser was an American importer of the flatware. Some WMF pieces are marked Fraser, which adds to the confusion. The pieces in this set are marked WMF — not Fraser. It is a treat to see a period set where all the pieces have matching markings — not pieces put together over the years.
This is a very desirable and timeless mid-century modern design, created by Kurt Mayer for Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. Each piece was made in Germany. The Finesse pattern is also known as Jupiter.
All pieces were made with heavy, high quality, stainless steel. The knife blades are a slightly different alloy of stainless steel, therefore they often have tiny black spots. However, the knives in this beautiful set are spotless! Each piece is hand-finished and shows very minor variations. This set will look great on your table or in your collection.
This set is in extraordinary condition, with only the lightest signs of handling. Includes 4 each of the following pieces:
A Salad Fork measures about 7" long.
A Dinner Fork measures about 7-5/8" long.
A Dinner Knife measures about 8-5/16" long.
A Soup Spoon measures about 7-5/16" long.
A Tea Spoon measures about 6-3/16" long.
The pieces in this set are the typical sizes, as produced for the American market. I also have European settings available, which have different proportions. And I have dozens of additional extended and serving pieces. Please inquire.