Brightcut Silver was a fashion in the late Georgian era, where the plain upper surface of cutlery handles is carefully incised with a steel chisel, with repetitive patterns and borders, often incorporating flowerhead and neoclassical designs, the faceted result causing highlights to reflect brightly, hence the name.
Brightcut silver was popular c. 1785-1835. It had another period of popularity in the later 19th/ early 20th century, and in that period many plain Georgian pieces were ‘enhanced’ with brightcut decoration. Telling them from original work is tricky, but generally, they are not as confidently executed as the first brightcut products.