Preparing for a Holiday Meal or Dinner Party ~ Inspect your Flatware before the Big Day!

Make your holiday meal or dinner party preparations less stressful by properly caring for your antique silver and locating replacement flatware in advance.

Many of us wait until a holiday or other special occasion to use the family silver flatware. Preparing for a special meal, whether it's for family, friends or business associates, is very time-consuming with all the necessary arrangements and details. One detail which is often overlooked until the last minute is pulling out the silverware. You may discover that you either don't have enough place settings or that the silver needs polishing.

By taking a few minutes to prepare in advance, you can:

• Eliminate the horror of your guests arriving while you are in the middle of polishing the silver; and
• Eliminate the embarassment of discovering you have missing or damaged flatware pieces as you are setting the table only moments before your guests arrive.

By following these tips, your future holiday meal planning can be focused on anything but polishing silver or futile attempts to replace a hard-to-find flatware piece.

Cleaning and Caring for your Silver:

If your antique silver flatware has years of tarnish, you will need to plan adequate time in advance to properly clean it. We do not recommend using chemical dips on antique silver. Dips are very effective at removing tarnish but they can also destroy the beautiful, warm patina your silver has developed over the years. For heavily-tarnished forks, it is acceptable to dip the tines in order to remove tarnish from between the tines. It can be difficult to completely remove tarnish from these areas by hand-polishing. If you dip the entire fork, you risk stripping the patina from the handle. You should never have to dip your fork tines again, or spend valuable time polishing old tarnish if you follow these basic care tips.

A proper storage chest with a tarnish-resistant lining greatly reduces (and often prevents) tarnish from forming. Tarnish forms from pollutants in the air. A relatively air-tight chest is your primary defense when storing your silverware over long periods of time. Note that regular use will also prevent tarnish from forming.

If you rarely use your silver flatware, polish it with an anti-tarnish silver polish before storing it as this too will aid in long-term tarnish prevention. It's a good idea to lightly polish your flatware after each use before you place it back into storage. When it's time to use your silver again, the most it should require is a light, effortless polishing.

When the meal is over, it is best to handwash and thoroughly dry your silver as soon as possible. Salt and acidic foods (such as eggs, vinegar, tomatoes, mustard) can cause damage to your silver so removing them quickly will preserve the beauty of your flatware. Detergent film and heat from your dishwasher can dull the finish, damage hollow handle knives, and damage or remove the patina on antique silver.

Finding Replacement Flatware Pieces:

By including an inspection of the condition and quantity of your flatware early in your holiday preparations, you can ensure that you will have an adequate amount before the event. The day before your event is too late. Some antique silver flatware pieces can take weeks, months and even years to locate. The same is true for antique silverplate and discontinued stainless steel flatware patterns.

Many people like to mix-and-match flatware patterns. This is a great alternative particularly if your pattern has long since been discontinued. It can also be much more economical, and can make your table more attractive and interesting. If you go this route, you can mix silverplate flatware pieces with sterling silver pieces. If your primary pattern is stainless steel, stick with other stainless patterns.

If you find that you need to replace any pieces or add to your flatware set, contact a replacement flatware company or pattern matching service. If the company doesn't currently have your piece or pattern in stock, it may also offer a free matching service. They will place your request on a Want List and attempt to locate the piece or pieces you need. Keep in mind that your request may take a long time to fulfill, so the sooner you request it, the better. If you need it in a hurry, advise the matching service of your deadline as some companies will place your request on a priority list.

If you don't know your pattern name, it will need to be identified before any replacement company or matching service can help you with your replacements. Some replacement flatware companies will identify the pattern for you free of charge. They will need to see an image (scan, photocopy or photograph) of the pattern along with details of the backstamp (words and/or symbols on the back of the handle).

At SilverCollect.com, you can browse through images of many flatware patterns categorized by silverplate, stainless steel and sterling silver to help you narrow your search. The images included on our web site are only a fraction of the many thousands of flatware patterns produced. Even if your pattern is not shown, we can help you identify it and attempt to locate additional or replacement pieces for you.