According to Welsh folklore, these ornately carved spoons were usually carved by young men on a single piece of wood as a token of their love to express their love and intentions to the one they loved. The earliest surviving example, shown in the Welsh Folk Museum in Cardiff, dates from around 1667, although the tradition may have begun long before that.
The love spoon originated from the "cawl" spoon. Generation after generation decorative carvings were added to the spoon, which gradually lost its original practical purpose and became a treasured ornament that hung proudly on the wall. Over the decades, certain symbols have taken on different meanings (see list at the end). Sailors often carved love spoons during long journeys, which is why anchors are often incorporated into the pattern.
Today, love spoons - they are sold around the world as gifts for weddings, engagements, baptisms, birthdays and anniversaries, or as a symbol of love and a souvenir from Wales. Although Welsh lovespoons are the most famous, there is also a tradition of lovespoons in some parts of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, which have their own unique styles and craftsmanship.
What is displayed here is the carving works, production experience and craftsmanship skills of Adam King, a Welsh "love" spoon wood carving artist in the UK.
Before you start building, one of the first and most important things to consider is choosing the right piece of wood. For most of my spoons, I use lime wood (aka: basswood). It is a pale color with a soft brown mid-tone when exposed to light. It is a relatively soft hardwood with barely visible wood grain and grain, making it ideal for carving. Other trees such as cherry, pear, and walnut also carve well, but are denser and will take longer.
After selecting the wood, I drew the spoon design onto a 10-12mm thick blank board and cut off the excess with a jigsaw/scroll saw. This is often called a piercing.
When carving love spoons, although I have over 100 different chisels, I usually only use about 15. Also choose different sizes of measuring instruments, three right-angled ones and six small and large engraving knives.
After the carving of the love spoon is completed, it must be polished. On average, more than 1/3 of the time is spent sanding the spoons, using three different grits of sandpaper. The final step is clearcoat application.
As the Welsh "love" spoon wood carving artist - Adam King, all spoons are designed and made by himself, and the finished products are of the highest quality. Love Spoons make a special gift for all occasions especially weddings and anniversaries. In his online store you will find many traditional and contemporary design pieces for sale or you can commission a unique love key for your special day. Due to high demand at certain times of the year, most spoons are made to order and can sometimes take up to 3 weeks for delivery. If you need it faster, please communicate with him earlier.
