Sterling Silver Flatware History

Sterling silver is the whitest of all metals. The precious metal is extremely lustrous when highly polished and has many different applications in medicine, fashion, energy, technology, and dining. Sterling silver flatware, in particular, has been a way for dinner hosts to showcase wealth and affluence at parties and gatherings. While sterling silverware is not as popular as it once was in the past, it is still used today to transform dinner parties and events into formal, elegant occasions.

Brief History

Sterling silver flatware was first introduced in the 1840’s, and these flatware sets were most prevalent from the 1870’s to the 1940’s. The flatware was used for dinner parties and elegant events. These gatherings often included anywhere from 5 – 18 courses, so guests could expect these events to be very long and extravagant. With each course, a new flatware piece would be introduced and used for the specific purpose of that course.

Cake Server in Covington.

Many of the sterling flatware sets included many specialized serving utensils like cake knives, pie servers, jelly servers, tomato servers, oyster forks, and pickle servers. Outside of sterling silver flatware, there are uses for sterling in decorative pieces around the table including cups, goblets, candlesticks, pitchers, napkin rings, serving trays, and more. The list goes on and on as there are endless specialized utensils for all dining needs and occasions.

The culture during the Victorian era was to always use a utensil when eating food, and it was not considered polite to touch food with your hands. This idea expanded the notion to showcase wealth, affluence, and status with all the silverware. The popularity of these sets began to dwindle as the cost of silver production increased. Another contributing factor was that the pace of life became much quicker. The sterling silverware and tableware required extensive time to clean, and big dinner gatherings became common place for formal occasions only. These flatware and tableware sets are not often used today, but people who own them still like to use them from time to time for nice, formal occasions.

Today, the pace of life only seems to be increasing as life becomes more on-the-go than ever before. People just aren’t using their once popular sets like they used to. These factors contribute to the flood of clients that we receive at Gold & Silver of Louisiana who are looking to sell sterling flatware and tableware. Our St. Tammany clients see a great opportunity to get cash for their unwanted and old flatware sets. We provide a safe and friendly environment for our customers. Our trained professionals are equipped to answer all your questions and provide valuable information when selling sterling silverware.