A small brass condiment bowl finished in polished nickel, footed and shallow, sized for the olives, the salted nuts, a single serving of something.

The finish reads like old hotel silver, the kind that turns up at a Riviera breakfast. Small enough for the corner of a tray, substantial enough to feel like a real object.

For the host who serves the small thing properly, the housewarming under a hundred, the friend collecting little nickel pieces.