Karl Wieden Sire Dorgento Table Lighter

The name Karl Wieden (‘KW’ for short) was quite big back in the day, and particularly famous for its semi-automatic mechanisms. Founded in 1905, this German lighter manufacturer would go on producing high-quality pocket and table lighters until the 1970s, when they unfortunately closed. KW made a whole range of different lighters and beautiful designs throughout the years, with most of them still surviving to this day.

The lighter is marked on the underside with “Sire Dorgento” instead of “KW”. What Dorgento actually means is still unknown, but it’s probably a combination of the French word for gold D’Or and the Italian word for silver argento, for assumed quality. It was used by Dutch silversmiths like Fa. Dahlia in Amsterdam. Some Dorgento lighters have Fa. Dahlia’s punch, but this specimen has not. They produced a wide variety of items, including smoking accessories, and they were decorated with Old Dutch scenes. A business deal took place with German lighter manufacturer Karl Wieden and the silversmith. Silver or silver-plated lighter cases depicting Dutch scenes were imported to Germany.

On the lighter are three stamps, including a standing lion meaning first-grade silver from the Netherlands. The “90” is an indication of how much silver was used. Take in mind, that the “90” is an indication the sleeve is silver-plated, not solid silver!