Abalone are a type of sea snail and are threatened with extinction because of poaching and over-fishing. The shells are highly prized by collectors, and the flesh is said to be quite tasty.
Originally, our object was designed to hold some sort of liqueur and even had its own tiny glasses, which have been lost to time. The cups or glasses would have hung from the hooks that circle the body of the decanter.
Our object is a piece of the façade from the Capitol building, and was harvested during a renovation that took place in 1973. It later was presented to DMCHS in 1979 by the Iowa Historical Department, in recognition of our position as a former capital.
Nothing beats using the metal cookie cutters that have been handed down through the generations, using the family cookie recipes and telling stories of the glories from Christmases past to help share that sense of nostalgia that this time of the year brings.
There was even a special knight who’s only job was to carve the meat for the higher-ranking nobles who were dining that night. The cutlers, who created the implements of destruction, themselves had special status at the Court, equal to that of say, a Court Jeweler, who held high status indeed.