Thank you everyone for your responses! The tray, 2 pots and sugar/creamer were all a gift about 30 years ago. I do not know the maker but will look next time I'm there in a few weeks. I do not feel the plating on the rim alone has all been rubbed off at it would be uneven - some plate left on in certain areas. It's not flat, a rolled edge; which is why I felt it may be of a different metal under the plate (so it could be sodered onto the tray). The leg base for one of the coffee pots is affected the same way. Mother-in-law has been very gentle and good to this set all these years. I will look for International Silver polish, and try a brass and/or copper cleaner on a section underside. I may try contacting the company who plated it, if they are still in business. This is not a cheap quality set and I would hate to do it more harm! Again, thank you!!

Whoops, didn't realize this thread had been added to! Karen, I posted about your tray on the other thread but if you want an opinion on the beads please take a pic showing another tray scape. Ya know how we love pics! :-) Kathleen, this is such a coincidence - the blog you posted is one I recently discovered thru another blog. For anyone who loves blogs this is one I recently discovered: http://thepassionatehome.blogspot.com/ Then found this one from there: http://janisgurney.blogspot.com/ Then to the one you posted. These 2 are both Canadian blogs and the first has a shop in a city we occasionally visit so I'll check it out this spring when we travel again. The other blogger makes things from silver objects and sells them in the other blogger's store. Also the lady with the store posted one of my pics I put out on the 'net on her blog!!! Link below. Small world. Thanks Punk! I have lots of other silver things that I'm thinking about using in vignettes and I'll post when I do. I've only recently had my DH paint a silver thing and I like the result but I'll only have him do the ones that are not very good silver. Here is a link that might be useful: my J O Y window 5th down

The May 2007 issue of Consumer Reports magazine rated 6 silver polishes: #1 Wright's Anti-Tarnish Fresh New Fragrance, 85 points, excellent rating for brightening and very good rating for resist tarnishing. #2 Weiman Royal Sterling Tarnish Preventing, 80 points, excellent for brightening and good for resist tarnishing #3 Tarni-Shield Anti-Tarnish, 70 points, very good for brightening and very good for resist tarnishing #4 Goddard's Silver Foam, 63 points, good for brightening and good for resist tarnishing #5 Hagerty Silversmiths' Tarnish Preventative, 59 points, good for brightening and good for resist tarnishing #6 Gorham Anti-Tarnish, 42 points, fair for brightening and good for resist tarnishing Wright's and Weiman are also Best Buys, costing about half per ounce as #3, #4, and #5. Good luck!

Linda C, "Dcarch...on the rhodium plating thing. I have somev ery very nice silver jewelery and none of it is rhodium plated...but I also have a couple of chains and a pair of earrings bought from a department store hanging rack...and they are rhodium plated. " I had done silver jewelry sometime ago. I took them to a few silver places and had them rhodium plated. I didnÂt like the color that it would take away from the warm sterling patina even the plating was only a few atoms thick. Rhodium plating is not that common anymore because so much rhodium is now used for automobile spark plugs and Catalytic Converters for pollution control. "Can you show me an ad for rhodium plated flatware or holloware? " I thought I made it clear that rhodium plating is never used for any cookware. I only suggested that as an option if you have damaged silver plated items and donÂt like polishing at all. ItÂs possible to find a place to re-plate the silver and rhodium coat it. I am sorry if that was misleading. "Also can you explain the difference between the chemical action of corrosion and tarnish? And which occurs by galvanic action? " I didnÂt want to go off topic too much before. I am not absolutely sure I am 100% technically correct. Off the top of my head: Corrosion (rusting) is when your desired metal surface gets a chemical change and pitted away. Tarnish (oxidation is one) is when your desire metal surface gets a desirable or an undesirable chemical change but no pitting is occurring. Galvanic (electrolytic) action happens in most metallic chemical reaction. Batteries are made this way. Some reactions are reversible, in which case you have a rechargeable battery. There is also a process that you can have electro-polishing. Many more metal surface treatments possible, anodizing, pickling, sputtering, etc. ------- "I think I know but you seem to have some sort of chemical engineering background, so would like to hear it from someone who seems to know. " No. I donÂt have any training in chemical engineering. Thanks. Just have a very sick mind that wants to know everything. LOL. For fun, I have done silver, chromium, copper plating, silver mirroring, photo silver negative plate making, vacuum sputtering, electro-discharge machining, electro etching----- I ground my 10" mirror, silver nitrate coated it and made my own astronomy telescope. dcarch