Flatware
Dinner is served and the drinks are poured. Now, what are you going to eat with? Well, material is a key factor in purchasing
flatware, and
while
Stainless Steel Flatware is quite popular, there are a couple alternatives, Sterling Silver Flatware and
Silver-Plated Flatware, that you should consider.
Material
Stainless Steel Flatware
Stainless steel is an alloy comprised of steel, chromium and nickel. Chromium gives stainless steel its rust resistance, while nickel gives it its shine. The amount of chromium and
nickel is usually indicated on the package as a ratio of 18/10, 18/8 or something similar. These numbers refer to the percentage of chromium and nickel, respectively. Quite
simply, the higher the percentage of nickel, the higher the quality. In addition to being the most economical option,
stainless steel flatware requires little maintenance, is dishwasher-safe and is highly durable. By far the most popular,
stainless steel flatware is guaranteed to last for years!
Sterling Silver Flatware
By law, in order to be called sterling silver, a piece must contain at least 92.5% pure silver. This is usually denoted on the package as 925, meaning 925 parts out of 1,000 being
pure silver. The remainder is usually comprised of copper. This gives the piece rigidity since pure silver is too pliable to be used alone. While sterling silver flatware is known
to be durable and quite beautiful, it can tarnish easily and needs regular polishing. It is also significantly more expensive than
stainless steel flatware.
Silver-Plated Flatware
Silver-plated flatware is comprised of a metal alloy base coated with pure silver by the electro-plating process. The base metal may be copper or "nickel silver”, which is a composition
of nickel, copper and zinc. The quality of the flatware is determined by the thickness of silver coating. Silver-plated flatware needs regular polishing, just like sterling silver
flatware, however over time, the silver coating could wear off a bit. Silver-plated flatware is a great, and more economical, alternative to sterling silver flatware.
