Got some silver flatware?

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Monday, April 11. 2022

Got some silver flatware?

As with accumulated sets of china, why not use your real silverware for everyday too? It is pleasantly heavy, lovely, and civilized. Should nice things be only for special holidays?

The youth do not care about china and silverware - or brown furniture either, nor should they. It's not practical. However, life is not all about practical. And we all have scullery maids to polish the silver, don't we?

Posted by The Barrister in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 15:28 | Comments (17) | Trackbacks (0)

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My fine china fits nicely on my tv tray.

#1 Don on 2022-04-11 16:24 (Reply)

Tucked into my Bible is a list of chores I must do in the event my oldest girlfriend dies before I do. It includes polishing the silver and making sure her crystal and china are spotless.

My darling mother had good china, and everyday dinnerware. One Sunday while setting the table for dinner, I asked my mother if she wanted the good china set out or the daily plates. She said that she liked to save the good china for special occasions. From the other room my husband called out, "It's always a special occasion when I'm here." And so it was. From then on if my husband and I were at her house for a meal, we ate on the good china, even if it was just sandwiches and chips.

#2 HH on 2022-04-11 16:58 (Reply)

Even the Slow Ponies in my family have wised up to the question "What are you saving it for? The Pope? He ain't coming to dinner." We use the good stuff as often as is practical.

The youth today wouldn't know good taste if it bit 'em on the ass. I'm not adopting the aesthetics of people whose everyday garments appear to have been washed together in hot water with bleach and river gravel. And whose idea of ornamentation is a facefull of fishing tackle.

While I do not have a full-time scullery maid (where would I put her?), I do have a housekeeper who visits every other week and is delighted to polish the family silver twice a year.

Can't think of a great anniversary present for your wife? Got shot down when you bought her a new blender? (of course you did). How's about getting her a part-time housekeeper? Mine didn't cost any more than a fur coat, and makes the wife happy year-round.

#3 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2022-04-11 17:00 (Reply)

When I married in 1968, my maternal grandmother had aways given her granddaughters silver flatware as a wedding present. Instead, I asked for a nice, decorative stainless steel set. It was the family scandal, but I got it and am still using them to this day.

#4 RebeccaH on 2022-04-11 17:28 (Reply)

The nice thing about silverware is that you don't have to polish the pieces that you use every day. And it sure is pretty.

#5 Hairless Joe on 2022-04-11 18:00 (Reply)

I prefer eating from silver but don't know why. I have a few pieces of coin silver flatware, it's the kind that is made from pure sterling, is quite light and delicate, thin, as opposed to silverplate, which is typically quite heavy. We've got some very old china, great-grandparent vintage, that we use for tea when my wife puts one on. And when we have a formal dinner a few times per year, the wife's nice china and silver comes out. It's just a nice way celebrate, to elevate the occasion in a special way, and indirectly to be even more grateful for all that we are blessed with.

#6 Aggie on 2022-04-11 18:31 (Reply)

Any suggestions on a good silver polish? Not sure what works best.

#7 Pod Hamp on 2022-04-11 18:32 (Reply)

I have tried several things, but I've had the best results with Wright's Silver Cream.

#7.1 T Migratorious on 2022-04-11 18:59 (Reply)

Wife and I have antbellum silver and china. My mom thinks we dont like it because we never use for formal dining but the reality is we dont have time for nondishwasher sets. We can use the formal diningware at my funeral.

#8 Joe B. on 2022-04-11 19:27 (Reply)

"The youth today wouldn't know good taste if it bit 'em on the ass. I'm not adopting the aesthetics of people whose everyday garments appear to have been washed together in hot water with bleach and river gravel. And whose idea of ornamentation is a facefull of fishing tackle.". Had to laugh as that is about the way I view things today. I know that when the first shovel full of dirt hits my coffin my oldest son will have already been on the phone with an auction company. The daughter in laws have pretty awful taste and only go with what their friends will approve of. Quite sad as I have many generations of family history items. I have tried to point out what they should pay attention to before disposing of my possessions. I'm getting out family things for the table this Easter, why not!

#9 JC on 2022-04-11 21:40 (Reply)

I'd look up what comparable older stuff is going for, mark the price on the back, and the date you checked it. It might slow down the "get rid of that stuff" rush.
Also, check around the family. Find out who likes the old stuff in the younger generation, and leave it to them in the will - along with some CASH to move it to their place, or store it until they are ready.

#9.1 Linda S Fox (Link) on 2022-04-15 05:55 (Reply)

I somehow ended up with two sets of matching silver-plated flatware, one from my grandmother and the other from her sister, my great-aunt.

We've found that it is fine in the dishwasher, with a caveat:
Nothing steel can be washed in the same load. So that means both things like cake-pans, prep-knives, and any stainless flatware that we've used have to be left out if we are dishwashing the silver.

It gets used every day, and does not get polished.

#10 Douglas2 on 2022-04-11 21:48 (Reply)

There is an artist around where I live that is buying old silverware sets and then turning the forks, spoons and knives into very nice unique looking bracelets, rings and necklaces.

They are very popular. My sister who has some gets quite a lot of compliments.

#11 Phil Taylor on 2022-04-11 22:52 (Reply)

For everyday we use sturdy china and glassware that's hard to break and cheap to replace. For guests, we upgrade. Even for casual guest meals I like to use silver napkin rings and linen napkins instead of the paper towels I make do with the rest of the time. And a linen tablecloth, of course. You can buy linens for a song at most antique stores or on Etsy.

I don't find the brown furniture impractical. Every time I try to buy new furniture, it breaks--weak joints, soft wood. We reupholster the old stuff and have it glued and screwed as necessary. These aren't serious collectibles, but lots of them are 100-150 years old and doing fine. Some we bought with spare nickels and dimes in our impoverished 20s, some we inherited, and some we buy now on Chairish, a terrific website.

#12 Texan99 on 2022-04-12 08:29 (Reply)

#12.1 Linda S Fox (Link) on 2022-04-15 05:58 (Reply)

In a previous life I was a silversmith, well three courses in college and a brief biz thereafter. I hand washed my wedding silverware, meaning I rarely used it. When I inherited 144 PLACE SETTINGS (I know!) of silverware going back seven generations. It was FREE. I could wreck some of it if I wanted. Feeling a frisson of liberation...I picked the least splendid of the lot, and for the last 50 years have put the stuff in the dishwasher daily. The "silver" looks okay and is not very tarnished. I polish it once a year max and it polishes beautifully. So use the damn stuff any old which way you want.

#13 Missy on 2022-04-12 09:55 (Reply)

I have to wonder if "good" china and flatware are not a cargo cult. They are held as a symbol of wealth, but the wealth is really displayed by the daily use, not special occasions. This, perhaps, springs from not only wanting to pass things down to children but that we are barely 120 years out from most of humanity living in abject poverty.

Here is Jordan Peterson in a short clip laying out the reality just 130 years ago

#14 JK Brown on 2022-04-12 17:07 (Reply)

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Monday, April 11. 2022

Got some silver flatware?