Cunill

A silver frame does a quiet kind of work. It holds a wedding portrait or a baby's first photograph for decades, catching the light on a mantel or a nightstand long after the day itself has passed. That idea of the lasting keepsake sits at the heart of Cunill, a house whose full name, Cunill Barcelona 1916, records the city and the year where its story begins.

A Mediterranean Tradition of Silver

From its beginnings in Barcelona, Cunill built its reputation on sterling silver, combining traditional European craftsmanship with fine materials. Over the decades the range has widened from sterling into silver plate and pewter, but the focus has stayed the same: handmade objects that are meant to be kept.

Today the Cunill name brings together the work of metalsmiths around the Mediterranean, chiefly in Spain and Italy. Some frames, such as the clean, high-polish Norwich design, are handcrafted in Spain, while several of the collections described below come from workshops in Italy.

How a Cunill Frame Is Made

Many Cunill frames are made from .925 sterling silver, the standard alloy of 92.5 percent pure silver and 7.5 percent copper, and each carries a hallmark certifying it as sterling. The patterns are formed by hand using stainless steel tooling, which gives the beading, scrolls and borders their crisp, clearly defined edges.

Behind the silver sits a solid wood back, often finished in cherry mahogany with a gloss lacquer and fitted with silver clasps, and a two-way easel lets a frame stand in portrait or landscape orientation. Many pieces are treated with a protective lacquer that resists tarnish, so the silver keeps its brightness without regular polishing.

The Collections

Nostalgia frames are period designs in heirloom quality, hand-tooled in .925 sterling silver made in Italy. Shapes such as the oval 'Ovale' and the floral 'Fiori' combine ornate detail with a contemporary sensibility.

Bastianelli frames are handmade in Bastianelli's own factory in Florence. Each begins as a single sheet of sterling silver pressed onto a handmade stamp and then mounted on a solid wood back, with the silver wrapped around the edge for a finished look. The 'Boboli' design, for example, carries an elegant floral pattern etched into the silver. Gieffe frames bring texture to the table with woven and herringbone borders, a stamped .925 sterling mark and dark walnut-finish backs and easels.

Beyond silver, Cavagnini pewter is handcrafted in Italy from an alloy of 96 percent tin with small amounts of copper and antimony, shaped into decanters and flatware with gently distressed, cast handles. The Woodbury Pewter line is hand-crafted using many of the same methods and tools pewterers relied on in the 18th and 19th centuries, and includes baby cups, bowls and classic julep cups.

Gifts That Mark a Moment

Cunill pieces are made for life's milestones. The Baby Gifts collection gathers sterling rattles, baby cups and child-sized frames, natural choices for a christening, a baptism or a first birthday, and the duck rattle from Krysaliis is a playful example.

The Occasions collection extends the idea to weddings, anniversaries, graduations and retirements. A pair of frames, one for the wedding portrait and one for the engagement photo, makes a thoughtful couple's gift, while a julep cup or a set of napkin rings suits a host who loves to entertain. Julep cups are traditionally held only by the rim and base, so that a frost can form on the outside of the cup.

Caring for Cunill pieces is simple. Frames with a protective lacquer need only an occasional dusting with a soft, dry cloth; avoid silver polish and abrasive cleaners on lacquered surfaces, since they can wear away the very coating that keeps the silver bright. Unlacquered sterling and pewter can be cleaned gently and dried thoroughly, then stored away from humidity. With that light care, a Cunill frame can hold the same treasured photograph for a generation and still look ready for the next.