Tray from the Tête à Tête tea and coffee set

While clearly indebted to French Art Deco silverwork, this pièce de résistance was designed to outshine the French in their own specialty. Its sleek streamlining is mainline American, but even more avant-garde is the black synthetic fiber inset in the handles--a daring statement when combined with a precious metal such as silver. Attributed to Barney, a principal designer at Tiffany & Co., the service was designed for and first displayed in the House of Jewels Pavilion in the 1939 New York World's Fair.