The Hopkins-Searles Service

This remarkable silver and gilt flatware set was custom made for Mary Frances Hopkins (Searles) by Tiffany & Co. The Tiffany designer Charles Grosjean patented the flatware circa 1886. This is one of only six custom designed flatware sets produced by Tiffany & Co. in the late 19th century. The private pattern sets were expensive. The laborious process of designing and handmaking new dies ran the cost into the thousands of dollars. The design for this service is different from any other Tiffany silver. The grape and vine design is very complex, as are the baroque initials MFS on the back of the pieces. Also, each handle has twenty-seven piercings, a unique feature that adds a lightness to the design.

Mary Frances Hopkins was the widow of Mark Hopkins, one of the founders of Central Pacific Railroad. Upon his death in 1878, he left her more than $21 million (about half a billion dollars in 2017), making her one of the richest women in the United States. In 1887, she married the handsome Edward Searles, who was twenty years her junior. They had first met when he helped decorate her mansion on Nob Hill in San Francisco. She had reportedly pursued the groom for several years. During their honeymoon in Europe, they were presented to Queen Victoria of England and King Humbert of Italy. However, Mrs. Searles died only four years later in 1891, leaving Edward a fortune. The will caused a sensation because she had cut out everyone else, including her adopted son Timothy. Timothy and others sued, and the parties eventually reached an out-of-court settlement. The former decorator never remarried, and upon his death in 1920, he left $40 million (almost a billion dollars in 2017) to his young male secretary and the children of his cousin.