HOUSEWARES : The Appreciation of Fine Silver

Those in the market for silver face two extremes: They can invest in a fine piece like a handcrafted, sterling gravy boat that can run them more than $2,000, or they can pay $20 for a factory-made, silver-plated gravy boat that, over time, will probably have as much value as an old tin can.

Sterling and silver-plated items fall primarily into two categories--well-made but very expensive or, in a word, cheap.

Most of the silver on the market today falls into the latter category. Teapots, creamers, candlesticks and other silver pieces selling for under $50 are usually of such poor quality that they become blemished and broken with age. Instead of a family heirloom, buyers are left with a thrift store giveaway.

“The chintzy new stuff is almost embarrassing. It’s instant garage sale fodder,” says Lisa Ackerman, co-owner of A&P; Collectables in Orange, an antique store specializing in china, silver and glassware.

“It’s not the intrinsic value of the silver. It’s the labor and the finish,” Ackerman says. “Many of the newer pieces don’t have the detailing. The edges aren’t finished well.”

Silver’s reputation has been tarnished by the replacement of silversmiths--who once created opulent tea sets and flatware by hand--with factories that mass-produce silver almost entirely by machine.

“They make it the way auto manufacturers make fenders--it’s stamped out,” says Allan Adler, one of a vanishing breed of silversmiths who owns a gallery under his name in Corona del Mar. “There’s no craftsmanship at all.”

For those who don’t care that their silver flatware or holloware won’t last generations, or even 20 years, a factory-made, silver-plated gravy boat might be just the thing.

“Manufacturers are trying to give retailers products they can sell for $30 to $50, for the customer who wants to send off a wedding present and forget about it,” Ackerman says.

Yet buyers wanting high-quality silver that will last a lifetime and beyond can still find heirloom-quality pieces.

A few companies such as Wallace and Gorham still make premium sterling, but the new pieces don’t come cheap. Antique stores and even thrift stores are also among the dwindling sources of fine sterling. Occasionally a silver treasure turns up at a garage sale.

Buyers search antique shops for old sterling flatware because it’s often heavier and better crafted than new flatware.

“One woman bought a set of flatware for her daughter from a department store that she thought was the same pattern she had from the 1950s. But when she took it home, she found out it wasn’t the same,” Ackerman says. The new flatware was much lighter due to a lower silver content. The woman exchanged the new set for an antique one.

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The older ornate flatware patterns dating from the 1890s to 1920s are the most desirable and the most expensive because they require the most labor to produce, Ackerman says. A five-piece sterling flatware setting ranges from about $100 for a simple pattern to $300 for one that’s highly embellished.

“If it has naked cherubs, it costs more,” she says.

A hallmark stamped on the bottom of the silver indicates whether it’s sterling. When shopping for silver, it helps to know the symbols for sterling used in other parts of the world. In England, companies mark their sterling with a lion. The number 925 also signifies sterling; it means the piece is made of 925 parts silver and 75 parts copper, considered pure by industry standards.

Silver-plated items are cheaper, but they’re not as durable as sterling. Often the plating is so thin it has a “tinny” appearance, or the base metal shows through in spots, Ackerman says.

When a silver-plated item says “do not polish,” it usually means the plating is especially thin, she says.

“Over time, the lacquer they’ve covered it with breaks down, and you’ll get pitting or spots.”

By contrast, sterling gets more beautiful with age, acquiring a soft luster from years of use.

“An investment in sterling will be passed on and last a lifetime,” says Jim Bissett, sales support supervisor at Tiffany & Co. in South Coast Plaza, who educates Tiffany employees about sterling.

When choosing sterling, he suggests one consider the shape, balance and lines of the piece.

“You want it to be functional and comfortable,” he says.

Among the points to examine on flatware are the depth of the bowl of the spoon to make sure it isn’t too shallow, the tines of the fork to make sure they’re not too sharp, and the weight of the handle of the knife.

“Some manufacturers put concrete in the handles, but the better sterling manufacturers never do that,” Bissett says.

The utensils should have no file marks or jagged edges, especially around the fork tines, and their patterns should show up in fine detail.

Even the better sterling pieces produced today are seldom made entirely by hand. Most are made from molds, then finished by hand.

Consumers pay a premium for those rare pieces that are entirely handmade. A baby cup at Tiffany made by hand sells for $390, while the cup made by machine and finished by hand is $160.

“That’s why you don’t see huge urns made by hand. The costs are outlandish,” Bissett says. A machine-cast, hand-finished five-piece tea set at Tiffany runs about $18,000.

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Adler is one of the few remaining silversmiths who makes holloware and flatware by hand, from hammering the silver on an anvil to buffing the surface so it gleams.

He learned his trade from his father-in-law, a sixth-generation silversmith.

“The craft of silversmithing is just about gone,” Adler says. The reason is cost. One of Adler’s sterling gravy boats is $2,400.

“Not many can afford that,” he says.

Still, his gravy boat will likely appreciate over the years, long after a $20 silver-plated one has been thrown away.