The tradition of carving and giving lovespoons is centuries old, with the oldest surviving lovespoon, dated 1667, currently displayed at the National Folk Museum of Wales at Saint Fagans. During the long winter nights families isolated in their crofts would gather around the fire of warmth and light. As they sang the old songs, and listened to the stories of ancient days, the men would patiently c
arve spoons, whittling at a piece of wood, teasing a shape from the lifeless block. A unique tool evolved to carve the spoons, the "twca Cam" (the curved dagger) with a long handle and a hooked blade. It was with this tool that the carver fashioned the bowl of the spoon. Then with his own knife he would whittle away at the wood, creating the handle and smoothing the finished article. As time went on the designs on the spoons became more intricate. Some were double bowled, or two spoons linked with a wooden chain. The handles became longer and broader pierced with hearts and circles. The soft curves and rounded edges became so beautiful in design, but impractical for everyday use and were instead given as gifts and as tokens of love. It is believed the spoons became an invitation, from a youth to a maid to begin courting, and many believe that the English term of "spooning" derives from this Welsh tradition. As many of the men who carved these spoons would have been illiterate, the love spoons with their intricate designs carried an unwritten message to the women they loved. Each symbol, lovingly carved into the spoon carried a particular message. Today, they are given as messages of love to a sweetheart, or as symbols of friendship and caring. A LoveSpoon is the perfect gift for all occasions: Weddings, Valentines, Friendship and more. Each order is accompanied by a card giving a brief history of the Welsh LoveSpoon and the meaning of the carved symbols. Please note that all sizes are approximate