Anonymous wrote:Why

Never - we don't own any real silver, because I'm never going to polish it.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone purchase sterling flatware anymore? Or do people just inherit it down the family line?
My mother had a sterling set that was probably a wedding gift (1960) and I don't think we ever used it. My father sold the set after Mom passed. It was probably in immaculate condition.

It's rare and quite expensive now for new sets. Aroudn $15,000 to $40,000+ depending on the maker.
Older sets can be had for as little as $3000-$5000 for a small set though or incomplete set.

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Anonymous wrote:Yes, of course we use it everyday, we don't use flatware. It's all silver.

I have our kitchen staff ensure it's polished weekly.

Joke aside, you have a point that real silver is high maintenance and must be hand washed and polished.

It is not high maintenance if you know what to do. I put mine in the dishwasher and use plain detergent. You just have to make sure it doesn’t touch non silver items. That makes it tarnish. And handling it often helps too.

Washing in the dishwasher often gives silver a "flat" look without the sheen, and it can remove the darkened/shaded intricate details.

No, it does not. Definitely not. I’ve now been doing it for two + years, every single day. There are rules you have to follow (#1 is NO TOUCHING OTHER METAL ITEMS) but if you follow the rules, your silverware can be washed in the dishwasher and look beautiful. I happen to have an intricate pattern as well btw

https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/house-rules-cleaning-silver-dishwasher/

I'm sorry to say, but over time it won't look the same as handwashed sterling.

Anonymous wrote:I got my great grandmothers silver appraised and it was 15k. Unfortunately my siblings refused to sell it.

I'm glad someone in your family cares about something so very special as your great grandmother's silver.

I got my great grandmothers silver appraised and it was 15k. Unfortunately my siblings refused to sell it.

We use sterling silver flatware daily and crystal.

I have three sets of sterling silver flatware. When kept in a silver chest, it doesn't tarnish. If you wrap your sterling trays and dishes in flannel, they don't tarnish. (maybe if untouched over decades?). Trays, coffee services, wine coasters that you leave out in the air will tarnish. The sugar shell left out on a tray. YouSometimes napkin rings. I'm still talking about sterling, not plate.

I use sterling flatware everyday. Everything in the dishwasher except knives. Maybe twice a year, spoons or forks look a little dark and I just wipe them with a bit of Wrights silver cream... rinse and put in dishwasher. I keep out only what used daily, so those knives, forks, spoons get washed daily. Older women used to tell me "if you use it, it won't tarnish". Maybe that's what they meant.

I love Repousse - one of my grandmothers had that - my aunt has it now. Mine is Francis I, so clearly I love very ornate silver.

My mother’s silver is Fiddle Thread, which of course has been made by many, but most of hers is Frank Smith, I think. She uses hers a lot more than I used mine (She also has a lot of silver inherited from various relatives, dating back to the 19th century. She mixes patterns with abandon on the table).

Yes, I have two sets of sterling flatware, one American (Baltimore Kirk repousse) and one English, a mixture of silversmiths but most in the same fiddle thread shell. It's heavier than the Baltimore silver. I use some of both regularly. Love the feel and appreciation of family and history. I handwash them, which is easy peasy and no big deal to me. Just a few minutes at the sink.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, of course we use it everyday, we don't use flatware. It's all silver.

I have our kitchen staff ensure it's polished weekly.

Joke aside, you have a point that real silver is high maintenance and must be hand washed and polished.

It is not high maintenance if you know what to do. I put mine in the dishwasher and use plain detergent. You just have to make sure it doesn’t touch non silver items. That makes it tarnish. And handling it often helps too.

No, it's not a question of tarnish. Silver will tarnish no matter what you do. The dishwasher prohibition for silver was because it's a soft metal, and rattling around next to harder metals in the silverware basket dinged it up.

Now that most dishwashers have the flat upper rack where each utensil is in its own little cradle, it's not an issue anymore.

No, it will not. How do I know this? Because I use my silver every day and put it in the Dw every day. Don’t let it touch other metal items, and make sure to handle it - eg touch it and use it- and it will not tarnish.
https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/house-rules-cleaning-silver-dishwasher/

I was confused, then I realized... Maybe yours is plate? I grew up polishing the ancestresses' silver, which we used at every meal, and ran through the dishwasher every time (in a special basket to keep the pieces from touching each other.) Still needed to be polished, because sterling tarnishes black. Plate tarnishes in a lighter color, so you can get away without polishing it for longer.

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Anonymous wrote:I used to, before kids. All my spoons literally disappeared. Anyway, one tip is don’t wash it in dishwasher with rubber, makes it tarnish.
I do use my silver on holidays or when family here.

No no no. The rule to follow is to not let silver touch other metal. I use and wash my silver in the dishwasher every day, and if I follow that rule, I can go weeks without polishing. Of course my family sometimes forgets and someone puts a regular metal item in with the silver, or lets the silverware sit in the sink with pans, and I have to polish, but it’s rare.

I wish I’d known this years ago

You sound exhausting.

You sound like someone who must be right. Even when you’re wrong

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, of course we use it everyday, we don't use flatware. It's all silver.

I have our kitchen staff ensure it's polished weekly.

Joke aside, you have a point that real silver is high maintenance and must be hand washed and polished.

It is not high maintenance if you know what to do. I put mine in the dishwasher and use plain detergent. You just have to make sure it doesn’t touch non silver items. That makes it tarnish. And handling it often helps too.

No, it's not a question of tarnish. Silver will tarnish no matter what you do. The dishwasher prohibition for silver was because it's a soft metal, and rattling around next to harder metals in the silverware basket dinged it up.

Now that most dishwashers have the flat upper rack where each utensil is in its own little cradle, it's not an issue anymore.

No, it will not. How do I know this? Because I use my silver every day and put it in the Dw every day. Don’t let it touch other metal items, and make sure to handle it - eg touch it and use it- and it will not tarnish.
https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/house-rules-cleaning-silver-dishwasher/