We have our old stainless flatware. Simple, sturdy, totally well balanced.. Settings for 10. Then, we registered for new Stainless (at the urging of my mother). We now have 12 full place settings of the Charlotte pattern from Crate & Barrel. I nearly returned them, but upon putting the dinner fork in my hand, I just couldn't bear it. The Charlotte collection is so heavy eating almost counts as working out, and I just loved the tapered tines, and depth of the spoons. I can hear how desperately nerdy that sounds even as I type it, but really.... it's true.
Anyway, a new set of flatware isn't obscene.. but it starts to feel absurd when piled on top of the family silver that we were also bestowed as a wedding gift.
12 gleaming place settings of Royal Danish silver.
and 12 gleaming settings of King Richard.
And all their serving pieces...
That means we now have 46 full place settings to somehow organize and store in our kitchen. Anyone up for a dinner party? See? First-World-Problems.
If your appalled by this decadence, then I suggest you skip the rest of this post, as it will be spent discussing the relative merits of the two sets and their possible future uses. Boring to some, but FASCINATING to me.
Silver is a tradition that I'm somewhat sad to see disappearing. I can understand why we don't register for china (this bitch doesn't hand wash dishes). But almost all your silver does fine in a dishwasher, and is such a lovely touch to a casual dinner at home. My dad grew up using his mom's silver every day. He remembers slurping his cereal up with the Royal Danish - which in my mind, is how it should be. I suppose that's at $500-$800 a setting it's hideously expensive to purchase (I wouldn't never personally make the investment), and with all the new stainless alloys, it's possible to get the heft and the shine of silver without.... well, silver.
So, without further ado.. the Silver:
The first set comes from my paternal grandmother. It's her wedding silver from when she and my grandfather were married. They also came to inherit his father's Silver, which is going to my brother as he will have the appropriate family name to match the engraving :)
She bought us a beautiful new silver-cloth box, complete with plaque that has our wedding date, and theirs... Which makes it feel even more special to me..
I had an inkling that we would be getting the Royal Danish, but the King Richard silver from my Mom's side of the family was a total surprise. Frankly I think it surprised my mom too, as she sort of expected the silver to pass to her first (sucker! just kidding, she can't totally borrow it anytime she wants.. I swear).
It's as gaudy as gaudy gets and I Totally Love It
All of it. The Boy is less enamored with all of it's scrolling and whatnot, but I think it's pretty, and girly, and wonderful.
Which brings us to our current problem. How to store all this stuff.
We have the drawer space (assuming I relocate my stationary), but it's shockingly difficult to find silver-cloth inserts for drawers.
In fact, it appears that the only real option is to have them custom made. Something I'm not exactly giddy to spend money on, but I also know that if I have to go to the pantry, then get out a box, then open it to find a fork for my hot pocket... I'm never ever going to use the damn silver.
If my new massive closet has taught me anything, it's that things must be visible and easy to grab if you are ever going to utilize them. Out of sight, Out of mind.
I understand why some people choose not to use their silver on a daily basis. But it feels like a hop, skip and a jump to putting plastic on your couch or a vinyl runner on your stairs.
Nice things should be appreciated.
and used.
And then polished...
I love silver! My grandmother somehow convinced me as a child that it was great fun to polish, and polish and polish her silver. I now use that same siver daily and think of her often! Use it all! Rotate it! Enjoy it!
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