Sterling flatware?

[yssie]

I''d love to see pics of your sets!!





I''m starting to think about acquiring an 8-10 place service... a lot of the patterns are overly pricey for us right now but there are some consignment shops around that sometimes have great finds. I''ve always wanted a full sterling set

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Here''s my pattern:http://www.charcrews.com/cartapp/servlet/showcategory/charcrews;jsessionid=7BCC6AD96997004B5B2AE165B65FF228?categoryID=1348
it''s wallace grand colonial, I didn''t have any say in picking it out as my grandmother bought it for me at an estate sale, but I quite like it and love that it is not to fru-fru. I just noticed it''s discontinued, so I guess I should see if there are any other serving pieces I need and start looking for them

 

[Clio]

Mine is Francis I:

 

[Clio]

My sister has Repousse, which I also love:

 

[Clio]

And my mother has Fiddle Thread, which is nice but hard to find. I like the restrained, simple patterns in theory, but in reality, I''m all about the ornate.

 

[PinkTower]

Here is my favorite set:
It was an ebay purchase. The pattern is called Rubans; it is made by Christofle.
I particularly like the European patterns because they are bigger and more substantial than American silver.
(Actually, this set is silverplate.)
The back is as pretty as the front, so I will show that side. Checking the detail on the back is something else you might want to do in your search.
Good luck. Looking for flatware is so much fun.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 2/22/2010 9:49:34 AM
Author: Clio
Mine is Francis I:

I think my mom has the same design. If not it looks VERY similar.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

pink tower, I love your pattern!!!

 

[PinkTower]

Thank you, Bella. I really like this one. I picked up the whole set on ebay. Many people collect European silverplate. I think I read that their silverplate is comparable or above the silver content in our sterling. (Don't quote me.)
I also sometimes just pick up loose pieces in assorted patterns. That is fun too. Just make sure they are the larger sized pieces.
They are also referred to as "Continental Size" and "Hotel Silver." I got a set of 8 or 10 place knives the other day on Ebay in the European size that are imprinted "Hotel del Sol." Very cool, and not much money involved.

I usually set the table with them facing down, unlike my American made silver. The handles have this lovely "bowed" effect. They arch so that it looks like you could drive a matchbox car under them.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

We have a few sets of English silver flatware. My nicest set was a gift from my grandmother and the others were inherited from DH''s family. They are very ornate, mine is very plain - the pattern is Old English and it''s traditionally set face down on the table (for some reason).
Here''s a dark, small, not very good photo of a place setting with the Old English pattern. My dining room is a construction zone at the moment, so it''s all stored away.

 

[AGBF]

This is not a photo of my own silver, but a photo I found on the ''net of my pattern, Faneuil by Tiffany. I not only have 12 place settings, but I have almost every piece in a place setting known to man...and two teaspoons for every place setting because my mother assured me that that would be necessary. Only I never use my silver! Mine is also engraved. This is also the pattern that my mother''s best friend, the former Miss Janet Fanning, had. My mother chose a Georg Jensen pattern. Maybe someday I will be able to photograph my own set of silver, but I wouldn''t wait for that day!

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

This is a photograph of an actual place setting of my late mother's silver (now divided between my brother and me). As stated above, her flatware is Georg Jensen and is called, "Frontier Plain". It may, technically, be Georg Jensen USA since she was married in 1941, during World War II when Georg Jensen in the United States was the only one operating.


AGBF

 

[PinkTower]

Wow, AGBF,
Do you use this silver often? Looks as if there is a lifetime supply.
My MIL eats out rarely, and she has used her wedding silver exclusively for 53 years. She just keeps it in the plastic silverware holders in the drawer by the dishwasher. It developed a lovely patina and does not tarnish.

PT

 

[Clio]

Tacori, it''s a very common pattern, so it''s likely that she does have the same one.

AGBF, your pattern looks a lot like my grandmother''s pattern, which is Pointed Antique, by Reed & Barton. The knife shape on yours is so cool! I''ve never seen one quite like it.

Have youall seen the hilarious southern silver pattern zodiac (in The Southern Belle Primer)? I have to admit, it''s spot on for me:

1. Francis I Reed and Barton The Belle who chooses Francis I is a girl who wants it all. There are twenty-eight pieces of fruit just on the knife handle. It’s showy and opulent and so is she. A Francis I girl is likely to want a husband, children, a place on the board of the Junior League, and a full-time career. There is no end to what she can buy in the Francis I pattern. It comes with pickle forks, tomato forks, shrimp forks, lobster forks, grapefruit spoons, dessert spoons, ice cream spoons, even half olive spoons. Francis I girls are always compatible with mothers-in-law who have Grand Baroque or Burgundy. Their styles are similar.

 

[HVVS]

I have Alvin Southern Charm, dinner size, inherited. Alvin became part of Gorham. Southern Charm is heavy weight silver and all of it is heavy, so there's no need to worry about that when buying online.

Before I was married, and before inheriting the SC, I bought (like stole) a complete set of Towle King Richard for $1000. Dinner size, the heavy weight pieces marked 1932, double teaspoons, cocktail forks, the whole thing. King Richard has been around a long time. The late model stuff is just crap, imo. They thinned it down plus made lots of pieces hollow handle attached to a stainless implement. Boo, hiss.

You can easily look those patterns up at Replacements Limited.

Get the dinner size, then if you want the luncheon or place size it can be added later. With so much of today's stainless being dinner sized, the luncheon & place sized sterling looks miniaturized. Be sure to hold the pieces in your hands as you would be when using them. make sure they are balanced and that there are no sharp edges or protrusions that dig into your hand.