l have attributed this pair of tongs to Joseph Savory 1st, l cannot be certain as there are of lot of makers with these marks in this period, l have another pair of right angled tongs which l also have attributed to him see here
These tongs must be considered special, Gilding on tongs is very rare and as these are already unusual being right angled, combined with their excellent condition, make them a very special pair, prehaps the highlight of my collection.
This type of gilding is called "Lemon Gilding" that is because of the colour of the gold, this was applied by melting pure gold with mercury and the resultant amalgam being painted on the silver, this was then put on a iron plate over a fire. The heat drove of the mercury in a highly poisonous vapour, leaving the gold bonding with the silver,
l believe the process was made illegal due to the premature deaths of the workers, and l am sure somewhere l have read the fumes could cause insanity.
( l wish to thank Trev for the information about gilding )
A Stunning Pair
A Vacant Cartouche, which does surprise me