When holidays and special occasions come around, people dig their lovely silver plate pieces out of drawers, cupboards and attics to add elegance and grace to their table. It’s a shame these pieces get hidden away instead of living in plain sight all the time. The more you use silver plate, the more beautiful it becomes. Admittedly, pieces left in the air will tarnish if not used regularly. Many humans, who are not enterprising children that have figured out they can make a fast buck polishing silver for their adults, dread polishing silver. To me, polishing has a zen quality, similar to ironing. And the hot water, aluminum and baking soda method of polishing never ceases to amaze me. (More about that later.) With holiday season upon us, it seemed a good time as any to answer some FAQs about using silver plate tableware.
What is silver plate?
Silver plate is a piece made of a less expensive base metal, like copper or nickel, that is electroplated to add the thinnest layer of silver possible to cover the whole thing. This makes silver plate much less expensive than sterling silver, although it can still have the same graceful designs.
How can you tell silver plate from sterling silver?
There are three easy ways.
First, check the backstamp or the hallmarks. Most pieces of sterling from the 20th century on will be marked with the word “sterling.” Older pieces may have hallmarks, which are a series of tiny stamped marks that will tell where a piece was made and by whom. Deciphering these might require a hand lens, a book, good attention to detail and the desire to dig a rabbit hole. Most silver plate is marked “plate,” “silverplate,” “EPNS” (electroplated nickel silver), “A1” or “quadruple plate.”
Second, an appraiser at a fancy auction house who knows stuff about stuff told me that the tarnish on sterling silver is usually flat black, while the tarnish on silver plate usually has iridescence, like gasoline on water. This is because the silver layer is under the influence of the base metal under it.
Third, how heavy is it? Silver is a lightweight metal. Plate is heavier. If you hold both a silver and silver plate fork in your hands it is easy to tell which is which.
Random note: An auctioneer who knows stuff about stuff told me that if it’s marked “Rogers” in any variation, there’s a near 100% likelihood it’s silver plate, whether it’s marked or not. (This will make sense when you read about the proper spelling below, where William Rogers is mentioned.)
Is it safe to use silver plate tableware?
The consensus on the internet is that yes, silver plate tableware is safe to use as long as the silver layer still completely covers the base metal. If the base metal is showing on flatware or serving utensils, the piece should be retired from service. However, if the base metal is showing on something like a serving tray that will not be in contact with food, it’s fine to use.
What is tarnish?
The Canadian Conservation Institute, a department of the Canadian government, describes tarnish as “black silver sulphide…caused by sulphur containing compounds such as hydrogen sulphide in the air.” This explains why you will occasionally find silver pieces that have been protectively mummified in plastic wrap completely free from tarnish, while any little bit that was left exposed is black. Flannel wraps, which come with many silver and silver plate pieces, also work well.
Is it safe to eat from tarnished silver plate tableware?
Yup. Tarnish is considered by some to be cosmetically unappealing, but its not toxic. This is good news for the gothic crowd, who appreciate a good coat of tarnish.
How do you polish silver plate tableware?
Anything you do to polish silver works by removing some of the silver, because every method involves abrasives of varying intensity. Start with the least abrasive method and work your way up.
If it’s lightly tarnished, a silver polishing cloth will do the trick.
If it’s more heavily tarnished, silver polish is needed.
If it’s very heavily tarnished, I have successfully used the baking soda, boiling water and aluminum foil method. Arm and Hammer has instructions, and there are many versions on the internet. (I’m not sure I would use A&H’s first method, a baking soda paste. That seems wickedly abrasive, but I am not a chemist, nor am a part of the A&H PR department.)
The Canadian Conservation Institute has a clear and concise explanation of various polishing methods, with the pros and cons of each. They also recommend specific products.
What is pitting and will polishing fix it?
Pitting is little holes in the silver plate layer, often dark or maybe revealing the base metal underneath. Many things cause it. And polishing does not repair it, although it can make it look better.
Random note: If you have silver or silver plated tops on glass salt and pepper shakers, always take the salt top off, wash and dry it and store it off between uses. Pepper is innocuous, but salt is an absolute terror when it comes to deteriorating silver plate.
Can silver plate go in the dishwasher?
Southern Living says, “yes” but they have some caveats. Use acid free detergent. Don’t mix stainless steel and silver plate in the same load or both might get stained thanks to a chemical reaction. Rinse pieces if you’re not running the dishwasher immediately. Dry pieces before putting them away.
Sterling silver flatware should NEVER go in the dishwasher. Even Cascade dishwasher detergent discourages it because the high temps and detergent can damage it.
Is the correct spelling silverplate, silver plate or silver-plate?
Merriam-Webster, dictionary.com, and the Cambridge dictionary all use two words, silver plate. Merriam-Webster also entertains the hyphenated version, silver-plate. Leon Castner, of the National Appraisals Consultants, uses silverplate and explains the history. The Reader’s Digest condensed version is that “plate” was used in England to describe sterling silver. No one knows why. So sterling silver pieces were called “London plate” or “Sheffield plate.” In the 1700s, Thomas Boulsover figured out how to join a sheet of copper and one of silver, then roll them out to make tableware. Because Boulsover was in Sheffield, this new thing was called “Sheffield plate.” Awkward, and misleading. Around 1843, electroplating was invented in both England and in the US (by William Rogers). Pieces made of copper or nickel could be dipped in a silver bath, electric current was applied, and the piece that came out was seamlessly coated in silver. That’s when “silverplate” as one word came into use.
Random note: Mr. Castner also explains that the process of electroplating is exactly the same now as it was back in the 1870s.
So should I get out my silver plate and use it?
Yes.
