Black Speckled Enamel Cup

A short, wide enamel cup in glossy midnight black, scattered all over with tiny white speckles like a starry night sky. It has a rolled rim, a slim looped handle and speckles that carry right across the base. It's squat and sturdy and works well for soup, chai, snacks on a camping trip, or as a cute catch-all on your bedside table.

This speckled look has a name: graniteware. It took off in the 1870s, when American kitchenware makers competed to create spattered, speckled and marbled enamel finishes. The style was named for the way it imitates real granite. Graniteware was cheap, colourful, easy to clean and cooked evenly, and it's been a collector's favourite ever since.