The Silver Antiques Insider

Diversifying Your Investments With Antique Silver

The International Herald Tribune has a special report on how collectibles, including antique silver, can be an important component in diversifying your investments:

Since collectibles markets tend to move in slower and longer cycles than markets for stocks, bonds and real estate, collectibles can provide healthy balance — if you already have the financial assets to meet your savings goals.

Do you love it? Investment advisers warn against getting emotional about stocks, and for good reason. But in collectibles, infatuation is actually a strategy for success: The most valuable collections are built by people who take pleasure in them. So if you are crazy about, say, antique silver cocktail shakers, go for it.

If you're indeed a fan of antique silver cocktail shakers, Nelson and Nelson has a wonderful example that perfectly captures the spirit of the roaring twenties!

This fun and unique sterling silver cocktail shaker set was made by the Gorham Manufacturing Company and the silversmithing firm WM. B. Kerr & Co. of Newark, New Jersey in 1925 (Kerr & Co. was acquired by Gorham at the time these pieces were made). It includes a sterling silver cocktail shaker, tray, and twelve shot glasses. The cocktail shaker, in a classic shape, has a tapering cylindrical body with a gently curved shoulder that supports a short neck and discreet curved spout with a built-in strainer. The flat, tapering handle is secured from the rim of the neck to the lower body of the shaker, creating a strong, modern silhouette. The detachable circular lid, with a pierced sidewall for straining, has a wide button finial that conforms nicely to the hand and provides excellent stability. The lid also has a small silver tab to secure it to the spout/strainer. The tray has a plain, circular design with a deep rim which allows the twelve simple, cylindrical glasses to be arranged securely inside its perimeter. The glasses have a gold-wash interior and the center of each piece in the set has been engraved with a whimsical faux-crest featuring a rooster with a cocktail glass perched in one claw above a banner reading “Here’s how.” For more information on this charming set, click here.

Living With Silver Antiques

Collecting can be a truly enriching experience but as the catalogue grows your innocent hobby can become detrimental to the inner harmony of your home. No self-respecting collector wants to keep her treasures boxed up, so how are you going to display all that stuff?

The heirloom hutch might be an obvious choice, otherwise, many older homes come equipped with mantles, lintels, and ledges but in the case of fine silver antiques, I must warn against all of the above. According to Pamela Wiggins (about.com) certain types of finishes and even some types of unvarnished wood emit vapors that “cause an adverse chemical reaction with silver, which can lead to heartbreaking damage.”

Furthermore, prolonged exposure to moisture can catalyze the tarnishing process. According to Ken Arnold, the author of Caring For Your Collectibles, silver should be displayed in an environment where the relative humidity is maintained at a level of 45 - 50 percent.

Enclosed cabinets with glass shelves and glass-fronted doors are ideal display cases (like those you can see in use over at Nelson & Nelson Antiques). They offer the best viewing privileges while also providing protection and some potential to control your collection’s exposure to tarnish-inducing humidity.

With just a little organization and a bit of understanding we can all get the most out of living with an antique silver collection.

But no matter how nice your display looks, just be sure not to lock your silver away until the end of time. Keep in mind that antique silver artifacts were designed for everyday functions. Regular use and subsequent cleaning creates the sheen, sometimes referred to as patina, which sets old silver apart from its ersatz modern-day relatives and makes the collection of silver antiques a truly rewarding pursuit.

Leaving Your Mark

Since ancient times, monograms have been a way to identify ownership and personalize important items. While the earliest monograms, on ancient coins and coats of arms, consisted of only two letters, Victorian-era socialites held fast to a three-letter rule. For women, the first initial was on the left, followed by a large last initial, and a middle initial. Men had monograms consisting of three equally-sized letters representing their first, middle, and last initials. For married couples, the bride's first initial would be on the left, the groom's first initial on the right, and both would be entwined in a center initial consisting of the shared last name.

Today, monograms can be creative as you'd like them to be. Have a sterling silver pitcher, vase, tea or coffee set, trophy, or any other treasured silver or antique silver item you would like monogrammed for yourself or as a special gift? The skilled team at Nelson and Nelson is ready to help. Contact them here for all of your monogramming and engraving needs.

This classic Art Deco silver tray by the renowned silversmiths at Tiffany & Co. is exceptionally versatile and could be engraved as a commemorative plate. It is in excellent condition and is of the finest quality of Tiffany’s heavy gauge silver. A functional decorating piece that would make a perfect gift!

Caring for your silver, courtesy of Vicky and Al

I was recently cyber-ogling the beautiful silver collection presented online at the Victoria and Albert website when I happened upon their very useful pages on cleaning and caring for silver. Vicky and Al recommend first swabbing the surface with methylated or white spirit to remove grease and dirt, and then gently rubbing a silver cloth over the item to remove any remaining tarnish.

Now, obviously, this is what the museum pros use, and if you’re anything like me, fumbling around a studio apartment with a bottle of fondue fuel may not sound like the best idea. If you prefer to use a polishing cream, my dear friends at Nelson and Nelson recommend Wrights Silver Polish.

Now, what caught my attention was this additional warning from the V&A: stay away from silver dips! “Silver dips can seem like an easy alternative to polishing. However, they remove the corrosion products by chemical action and tend to over-clean. They remove all corrosion and can leave the surface looking 'lifeless'. Since they react with the silver component of the silver corrosion product, they can also attack the silver of the surface of the object. Removing residues can be difficult because you need to avoid immersing objects in water. If there are any lead solder repairs on your piece, silver dip will turn them black.”

Overcleaning a silver piece with ornate surface detail, like this lovely Gorham antique sterling silver water pitcher in the renowned neoclassical pattern “Maintenon,” will remove all tarnish and leave the piece looking lifeless. For more information on the pitcher and its availability, click here.

Now if you’re in no mood to tackle silver cleaning yourself, remember that Nelson and Nelson handles every facet of cleaning and repair, as also replates worn silver plate items.

And dears, whatever you do, and whatever terrible pinch you may find yourself in, never, ever, polish silver with toothpaste!