Tea was first brought from China to Europe in the 16th century. Presumably, Europeans began brewing tea in the Asian manner of dumping tea leaves into a pot and pouring carefully rather than straining the liquid first. By the 17th century, strainer spoons were devised to remove the "motes" or tea debris with perforated bowls and pointed ends for clearing teapot spouts. The exhibition includes early mote spoons with simple pierced designs and later examples with elaborate geometric patterns.
.
Toward the end of the 18th century, a new form, the silver cup strainer, made its appearance in Europe. This form was adapted from wine strainers and from larger two-handled silver punch strainers used to extract lemon and orange juice used in other beverages. For tea, the cup strainer had one or two handles of silver or other material and was fitted over the cup to filter tea as it was poured. The Nowell Collection includes several different types of cup strainers.
.
By the 19th century, with the tea trade and tea drinking firmly established in the Western world and the industrial age well underway, silver craftsmen and manufacturers were motivated to devise new tea wares. They began by experimenting with various designs to secure the cup strainer to the teacup. Some had two handles that straddled the cup while others were made with clasps to clip onto the cup edge. Stands were also developed to support the strainer when it was not in use and to catch the drippings.
but I did find this:
