Marita40, I would be one of those waiting in line for that beautiful set also!!!
That is something my family never had but I sure lusted for one. You just can't buy that kind of quality (new) anymore. No, no, no, please don't Goodwill!

Silver tea sets are really good at collecting dust! LOL I have 2 sets, one was my DM's and the other I bought at auction to resell but liked it better than Mom's so kept it. I occasionally display one or the other on my vintage tea trolley or on a sideboard. I never use them for their intended purpose because I am concerned about the possibility of heavy metals being ingested. Some of the time they are put away in a cupboard. Will eventually pass them on to family and they can dust them or dispose of them however they see fit!

I also have several large silver trays (OK I admit I have 4 besides the ones with the sets!) that I have found at yard sales and use often for serving, for displaying vignettes, and corralling collections. I have a collection of silver holloware (both sterling and plate) much of which I've found at yard sales. Sometimes I have hung several round trays on the wall. I often use one small silver plate under my mug as a saucer/coaster and others under candles, as ring holders, to hold wrapped soaps in the powder room, and one silver casserole holder contains all my hair clips. I like the juxtaposition of rustic and refined and old silver brings a refined note.

Fortunately I don't mind polishing silver because I prefer that look to the tarnished look that seems to be popular on many blogs.

Here is a link that might be useful: [using old silver as decoration[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/bring-the-timeless-beauty-of-silver-into-your-home-stsetivw-vs~34713)

Wow, I never thought people would actually want this servce! I remember when I inherited it that I was pretty disappointed that it was just silverplate and not all silver. I did some searches on ebay to ascertain possible cost (just to do it) and there were quite a few similar sets for incredibly cheap prices--ie. I don't think a set like mine would sell for more than $50-$75. or so even if there were a buyer. Anyway, as mentioned, I'm going to hold on to it, even unpolished, for sentimental reasons--for the time being at least. (By the way, I was the only one out of the many siblings, nieces, and nephews who had any interest in it at all. But perhaps such items may attract future generations. . .)

That looks like a good set, Marita, and it doesn't look like your mom used it much either! You should be able ID it and get a replacement cost off, well, replacements.com. They're so expensive you'll feel like it's worth insuring.

If the silver plating is intact, I wouldn't worry about it being toxic. Silver is nice in that it's somewhat antimicrobial, but I guess that's more useful for hip flasks and communion cups. :)

Still, I don't like drinking out of them. I prefer something that stays hot.

I also inherited one and some other pieces of silver. I actually collect vintage silver, so I love having mine. It's in my china cabinet, along with transferware, ruby red glass and other vintage silver pieces.

tina

Okay. I am renewing my search for a china cabinet.

I have been known to polish random pieces of the old family silver at my parents' place to stick on the table for Christmas breakfast, because it makes my dad happy to remember the elegant silvery upbringing from which he has come so far.

I've just searched and searched for the photo I wanted to show you. On some blog somewhere recently I saw the idea of using the gorgeous sugar bowl for a vase for roses. It was stunning. I think it would work with your bowl and also the creamer too.

@ marita40 Wow!

I received mine for a wedding gift from a relative and use it on holidays. It sits on a buffet in my dining room. I enjoy using it and I am trying to use my silverware more often. I have Old Maryland Engraved, but have always used my good everyday stainless for daily dinners. I really must start using the good stuff every day! It will be handed down to my kids and I don't want it to look new - I want it to look used- gotta get that patina finish!!

Try using it to serve coffee and tea. I do, frequently.

And my calendar says 2012; hope it's right.

The problem with fine old things isn't the fine old things. It's that people inexplicably won't use them. I've never had someone who showed up in the afternoon run frantically out my front door because I served them biscuits and tea in a Revere set.

Marita, word to the wise... keep the set! When I married the ex, I received a number of beautiful silverplate pieces as gifts. When we were divorced I gave them away because they weren't "me" at that time in my life. Now I wish I had them all back and have been searching tag sales, Goodwill etc. to complete my collection again.

All of the vegetable dishes I received- most oval with tops, had glass inserts. Most of the same dishes I am finding now are missing them. Does anyone know if it is safe to put vegetables right into the well polished and well cleaned silverplate?

You're right--I'm sure that's not the reason they ran, Marcolo. :)

Lynn, silver is extremely safe to use if the silver is all there. The problem with putting food directly on it is that many foods will cause it to tarnish and look bad, sometimes immediately. If you use a silver fork to eat cabbage, for example, you'll have tarnished tines by the end of the meal.

(Even the base metal in damaged silver plate probably won't cause any harm for the limited amount of time the food will be in contact--it's not like storing brandy in a leaded decanter for a month.)

. . . to forestall polishing (or to at least limit it consisderably!) I keep all my silver serving pieces in bags made of "Pacific Cloth" when not in use. They can be a little pricey to buy, but you can buy the fabric a places like Hancock's/JoAnne's and make them.

About to bring out an old tea service myself to display on a new sideboard. Commenting on silver, a stick of white chalk in the silver drawer or in the bag with the pieces will help prevent tarnishing as well. (Chalk like is used in school)

If you are just storing it, you can wrap each piece in saran wrap, thoroughly, to prevent tarnishing.

When my mother passed away, my brother got her silver and I received all her china. It was a very even swap, but I then had no silver, which I love and missed. Over the years, I've slowly been collecting mismatched, but beautiful antique and vintage sterling. I don't have a silver tea set, because I can't afford what I really want. But anyway, I do use the silver I have, and I've learned a great deal from this silver blog. She has all kinds of ideas on how to use your good silver daily, and to how to use it in ways you might never have thought of.....have fun with it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Silver Magpies....

Fun2Bhere...I love the link. i guess I need to dig the old tea set out...mine is plate and worn in places but I am thinking I could strategically arrange the flowers to hide that.

Great link....thank you!!

Oh, boy! A chance to go o and on about silver!!

First, please don't wrap your silver in plastic...the number one enemy of stored silver is moisture. So use silver cloth bags, or even clean cotton bags, but please no plastic!

And good silver plate has value, too - particularly if it's Sheffield, which is on a copper base. It's much sturdier than sterling, and many people prefer it for serving pieces.

My silver service (which is sterling, I'm happy to say) came from my great-grandmother. It was given to my great-grandfather by the big rich urban church where he was rector for many years, and I keep four of the six pieces on a silver tray in the dining room. I keep a few other silver things around there, too, like a big water pitcher, and a couple of trays, and the like. The rest, along with most of the other silver I hang onto, live in the china cabinet. Silver is one of those things that I grew up with, and that tells me I'm home.

Silver wants to be used, and develops a lovely patina with time and use. It's also food-safe for serving, but things like eggs will tarnish it very quickly. Food also shouldn't be stored in it...but for serving, it's fine. Salt will corrode it...that's why old salt cellars have those lovely blue glass liners.

The glass liners in lidded serving dishes protect the silver from the scratches of serving, and from interaction with the food - and they also keep food warm much better. Silver is highly conductive, and anything served in it will get cold really fast. If I'm using my coffee or tea service, I keep the coffee or tea hot in the kitchen, warm the pots with very hot water, and don't put the beverages in until I'm ready to pour.

As to the polishing...I use Wright's silver cream, and it is no more difficult than washing it, since you use hot water and the sponge that comes in the jar. I actually enjoy handling it because it's so pretty.

One caution about big pieces of sterling silver...silver is soft, and you want to be very careful not to drop it or whang it into things, because it can dent or be misshapen easily, and it's impossible for anyone but a professional to fix.

I could go on, but mercifully, I won't...

Pirula, I was typing when you posted - thank you for that link.

Count me among those who cherish silver and all that goes with it, the polishing and the memories. I have many pieces from different eras and styles, some good quality some not so much. But who cares if I love it.

I find our home to feel so naked after Christmas decorations are taken down that I have taken to putting out what DH calls the January Stuff. The silver pieces along with metallic branches, lots of bright white pottery,cut glass platters and bowls,a silver painted wreath for the front door, silver beading, prisms, etc. The mantel and open hutch are filled with bright shimmering silver and white. More bowls and trays are filled with pine cones and berries and placed on side tables and trunk tops. Kind of a non-Christmas themed understated Winter Wonderland in our neck of the woods that doesn't as a rule receive snow.

The sparkle seems to help me get over the hump from post Christmas and the blah January yucko days and allows me an opportunity to show off pieces that spend so much time in hiding.

:D I was all set to respond to this thread when I realized I had posted to it 7+ months ago! I do adore silver and it doesn't matter to me whether it's sterling or silver plate. I have much more silver plate of course as it's very inexpensive at yard sales and brings the same glitz to my decor. I always have some silver around and use the various pieces regularly. Right now a little silver pedestal dish is holding several computer memory sticks on my desk.

This year I hung 7 round silver trays above my mantel shelf and used my 7 sterling candlesticks and holders with green candles on the shelf. I'll probably leave this arrangement up until well into January because it says Winter, not Christmas.

Arjay, love to see pics of your Winter Wonderland decor!

Arjay: that sounds lovely! Pics?

Bronwynsmom: my pleasure!

Yes, arjay, please post pictures. It sounds lovely.

I love silver too! My tea service (wedding gift from my mother) doesn't get used very much, because I don't serve coffee all that often, but it looks lovely in my dining room. I use other silver (julep cups, water goblets, flatware, bowls, trays, etc.) much more regularly. My Christmas tree only has sterling ornaments and glass icicles. I collect the Lunt stars and have been collecting the Reed and Brarton Old World Santas for my boys. I also hang their old silver rattles and baby cups. During the rest of the year the baby cups hold tealights on my kitchen windowsill. I just wish silver hadn't gotten so expensive.

This post was edited by porkandham on Sat, Dec 29, 12 at 12:17

My dear mother was asked once why she didn't use stainless for every day, and she said, "I have to use my silver - I can't afford to go buy stainless!"

She is the poster girl for genteel poverty...and I am grateful to her nearly every day.

What an absolutely iconic image you conjure up, Bronwyn's Mom. (I am steeped in Southern literature, and always think of James Dickey when I read your screen name.) I covet a sterling tea service--with a tipping pot.

P.S. I like Hagerty's Foam and sacrificial tarnish strips, but the local historic Episcopal church uses Wright's, which is more readily available in our rural burg.

Here is a link that might be useful: This one would do.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Dec 30, 12 at 10:16

Bronwynsmom, I grew up using sterling flatware for the very reason your mother stated. The sterling was passed down to my mother and we didn't have enough money to buy stainless. We even put our sterling in the dishwasher in later years even though that's a big no-no and still use that same sterling now. I feel so sad for those who store away their china and silver. It's really not that difficult to care for and it's fun to use it often.

No tipping pot, kitchendetective...mine is a simple classical style.
So I bet you are a fan of Eudora Welty, too?

It does scratch, however, and it's nice to have something for special occasions. I have sterling that I don't use often but when I do, I enjoy it, it hasn't become common place. And it's still very unscratched looking.

I grew up with everyday sterling that went in the dishwasher and the special sterling for holidays. I don't know why I haven't done the same since I have the everyday stuff now, plus two 'good' services of flatware. I keep trying to give my wedding silver to my son, but he doesn't want it yet because they are in a small place and space is at a premium. Maybe the new year would be a good time to start enjoying. The everyday stuff isn't scratched either, bumblebeez. The knives, however, I would handwash.

Glad this thread came up-now I am excited! I have always had the tea service out and I love fresh flowers in the pots and creamer, but it will be fun to enjoy the flatware more regularly! I am feeling the need for a little more day-to-day graciousness in my life.

That's good to know cyn! I try hard to keep it new looking.

A much older friend who used her silver flatware daily told me it was okay to put it in the dishwasher as long as you were sure it didn't touch any stainless in the basket.

I have my mother's silver plate flatware that I realized would go to the goodwill when I die, what was I saving it for? So I began using it daily. I put it all in the DW and am just very careful that it doesn't touch any stainless. I put the knives in so their stainless blades only touch each other. I've been doing this for about 5 years and it looks as good as new, no scratches at all. I polish it once in a while because it still becomes tarnished from different foods.

I do the same with my sterling, which I use much less frequently because I prefer the pattern of the plate. Everything at my house goes in the dishwasher or it doesn't live here.

Oh, yes, olychick! I have heard that also about not letting the silver touch stainless-heard it can cause black spots. I am really careful about that. Thanks for mentioning that in case anyone decides to put theirs in DW now!

Oh Arjay, what a wonderful idea - January is always so dreary when the Christmas decorations come down; I'm definitely adopting your idea - I love it!!!
Would also like to see pics!

Thank you all for the kind requests. Our Christmas decorations will officially by history tomorrow at dusk. I'll assemble "Winterlude" on New Year's Day.

The "January Stuff" is placed. It looks just as good during the day(it's dazzling when the sun shines in) as it does at night. I use very little silver during the Christmas decorating season so for us it's really a change.

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by arjay on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 20:14

arjay, if you use the edit link on the right side of your post you can add the html codes from photobucket instead of the img codes. Then hit update and your photos should appear. can't wait to see!

Thanks for the direction, Olychick, much appreciated!

it was worth waiting for! Beautiful!

I didn't grow up with silver, and stoneware and stainless is what we wanted when I married in the '70's. I'm now enchanted by what I've seen and read in this thread and would love to learn more.

Can someone tell me the difference between a teapot and a tipping pot?

love it arjay! Especially the mantel! it's so......frosty!

Very pretty, arjay!

I already commented on how beautiful the silver and sparkle is, but I just noticed the cover you have on your fireplace opening. That is brilliant! I have a woodstove in my home, but when I had a fireplace, the draft from that gaping hole, even when the baffle was closed, was chilly. I love what you did with that fabric cover.

Olychick,thanks for the compliments. The fireplace curtain has both a top and bottom tension rod. Behind it is a snug fitting piece of cardboard so no draft can come in and no heat or A/C goes out. Plus I got tired of looking at the black hole!

The winterscapes are very pretty!

Yup. Big Welty fan.

I also decorate with mine, keeping it all together in the kitchen~a large rectangular tray is over my cooktop, on the right side is another tray(round)leaning against the backsplash. A SS water pitcher holds old SS utincils. In front of that is a small lamp made out of an old SS sugar bowl. I also made a paper towel holder out of a candleabra which sits next to the pitcher.

On the other side of the cooktop is a long narrow SS tray holding a crystal sugar bowl and creamer, crystal salt/pepper shakers, and toothpick holder.

For years I kept my 'stuff' in a box, but 4 years ago when I mover into the new house, decided I didn't want to be a collector of stuff, but a 'user' of things I love. ;o)

You've inspired me!

The little green (blown?) glass tree is magnificent.

edit...removing double post

This post was edited by evenshade on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 20:49