Today, December 15, is National Wear Your Pearls Day - because the internet, of course - so wear your pearls proudly with Perfect Propriety. Ladies have more leeway here - a gentleman doesn’t wear a pearl necklace with Perfect Propriety - and it’s been said that if a lady wears her pearls often enough (or continuously) that they will flatter her by taking on her skin tone. This need not exclude the bathtub, as demonstrated by Greta Scacchi in White Mischief, above. Just look out for the bath oil, which is good for you, but not for the pearls.
Etiquetteer went into jewelry for gentlemen earlier this year, but you’ll find some suggestions for pearls other than white that might be suitable for gentlemen over at the Aspiring Gentleman.
Moving on to a more Timely Topic, Etiquetteer discovered this crystal dumbbell in a passel of family tidbits. No, working out with it isn’t going to help your biceps! This is a knife rest, and is used on the dining room table when the meat is carved there to help prevent the knife from soiling the tablecloth. These days carving is often done in the kitchen - and Etiquetteer thinks that’s often more efficient - but if someone around your table can combine efficiency and showmanship, make it a feature of your dinner party.
If you’re going to do this thing, two invaluable resources for aspiring carvers are Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette and a delightful and useful book from 1993, Rising to the Occasion: A Practical Companion for the Occasionally Perplexed, by Edith Hazard and Wallace Pinfold. The latter describes carving a turkey as “akin to lightweight wrestling,” at least the part that involves removing the limbs. Other handy advice includes making sure the knife is sharp before you start to carve, having a stack of hot dinner plates next to the carver at the dining table (much less complicated than having everyone pass their plates up and down the table), and not neglecting any of the garnish that might also be on the platter like parsley, potatoes, or sauce. And don’t forget to include a knife rest when setting the table! If the carver just rests it on the platter, that could jostle nearby table settings when the platter is moved by the Unaware.
While electric knives have made carving a bit less of a chore than hitherto*, carving is still one of those backhanded etiquette assignments, like being invited to pour tea at a tea party. It’s supposed to be an honor to be asked, but you still end up getting put to work at a party. Etiquetteer will never forget Dear Father’s despairing sigh of “Oh Lordy” when asked to carve one Thanksgiving. On the other hand, you can’t just leave it for the servants to take care of if there are no servants. So if, at a Great Meal this holiday season, someone is carving for you in the kitchen or at the table, be sure to thank them.
*Not to mention spiral-cut hams.