While the merits of the silver-plated bonbon scoop, many-tined cake breaker and gilded potato chip server are debatable, the spoon, knife and fork remain ubiquitous across many cultures.

From the Anglo-Saxon spon meaning chip, the spoon has for millennia come in myriad forms, including animal horn, shell and wood. Today, we also see more conceptual designs such as metal made to look like hand-carved flint tools in the Sekki collection conceived by Japanese designer Nendo.

The fork, however, has not enjoyed such easy or universal acceptance. In 1004, according to lore, Maria Argyropoulina, the niece of the Byzantine emperor, brought gold forks with her when she married the Venetian doge’s son. Their use prompted censure by a priest, who declared, “God in his wisdom has provided man w...