Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Beauty of Silver Hollowware

I sense a stirring in the world of silver plate and sterling hollowware.

There was a time when these lovely but high maintenance items were relegated to the hall closet, or stored in the buffet not to be dealt with. Women with families and busy schedules couldn’t be bothered with such indulgences as keeping up with polishing silver. Entertaining focused on paper plates and napkins, gone were the days of pampering guests.


In this disposable society silver was almost lost. Then something started to happen, maybe it was the aligning of several different moments all at once. People wanting to be more “green,” disposable wasn’t the answer. Couple this with a time of unrest and change, some of which people had no control, seeking out things that are sentimental and timeless seem to give comfort. Perhaps it gave us time to pause on what is really important, slowing down spending time with those we love and making that time have meaning, making the people in our lives feel important. This want of "home" has seemly manifested itself into these hidden wonderful silver objects once forgotten. People are longing for a gentler time when attention was paid to the experience, the getting ready for guests and looking forward to pampering and sharing with those we love.

The act of cleaning these items for some hasn’t seemed like such drudgery. In fact it’s been a time of quiet contemplation while slowly cleaning off the layers of tarnish we see a rebirth in the piece. New hope, yes, something once thought of as a tedious job can be an afternoon of enjoyment. Few things let us have such instant gratification as cleaning a piece of tarnished silver.

So, if you’ve been blessed with inheriting that silver chafing dish, fruit basket or flatware set consider yourself lucky. You are adding your history to this piece and the time you put into its upkeep lets your family members know how much you love them through these small acts of specialness that you impart in your family gatherings.

 
 
 

 
 
 

12 comments:

Terrie's Lil' Piece of Serenity said...

I love your new blog. Please come by and check out my lastest post.

xinex said...

Beautiful china and silverware, Rhonda. I am glad Terrie told me about your blog....Christine

Ginger said...

I came over from Terrie's blog to say hi and welcome to blogging.
Pretty pictures of china and the silver. I have a hard time polishing silver, my dirty silver has a weird feel that I can't stand. Guess I could use gloves though. There went that excuse. lol

bj said...

Hi, I'm bj and Terrie sent me over. I'm so glad she did. You have a lovely blog. Will you come by to see me sometime? I'd love to have you!!

countrymans said...

Oh ladies what a wonderful welcome, thank you for the feedback. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be paying you all a visit. :)

Picket said...

Morning friend...I came over from Terrie's...love your beautiful silver pieces and your pics are gorgeous!!!! Welcome to blogland...I too was on Rate My Space for awhile...as Picketfences...most folks call me Picket...please come by anytime...Hope you have a great weekend!

Stacey said...

I do, I do have real silver tea and coffee services that I inherited from my aunts. I have never taken them out of the box. Thanks for the gentle push.

Gone said...

Hi Rhonda...

I cam to visit from Terrie's blog.

I LOVE your china and silver!! I have several sets of china as well as several sets of silverplate flatware...and lots of silverplate platters, bowls and special serving items. My husband and I LOVE finding them and using them...whether for a large event, or for ourselves.

I'll be back.

Jan

Unknown said...

Terrie sent me , Love your Blog . Looking foreword for more .
Mary

countrymans said...

Oh goodness, thank you all for your wonderful response. I see many of you are from RMS and it's a great walk down memory lane. Terrie I so appriciate you posting this on your blog what a treat for me. She also encouraged me to make that RMS connection with you, brilliant idea. I was, izzycafe19, or izzycafe7, or the current version at this time is cafeizzy15. Frequent name changes are due to RMS not liking me posting pages that were for chatting as opposed to voting. So, anyway, thank you all I've enjoyed getting reacquainted with you. :)

Terrie's Lil' Piece of Serenity said...

Rhonda, These gals kove dishes, silverware, etc.. In fact many of them particpate in tablescaping once a week. It's fun you should join the fun!
Hugs, Terrie

countrymans said...

Terrie, so inspirational and it's a joy getting to see these wonderful homes.. Thank you for sharing with me. :)