Like many people with an affinity for antique home goods, I have an obsession with silver decor. Namely, Champagne buckets, perfume trays, and cutlery, to name a few examples.
My silver mania was only further enhanced on a recent trip to North Carolina, where I popped into an antiques shop that shared a wall with the hotel at which I was staying. The amount of silver was almost overwhelming. I had to admit, though, I was intimidated by the gleaming metallic finish because I had only ever seen silver used regularly in my grandmother’s house and in the movie Titanic, never by a younger person as part of their everyday kitchen setup.
Despite my trepidation about the material—all I knew was that it requires a lot of polishing—I was curious to know more about it. I chatted with two experts who not only reassured me that antique silver decor can work well in any household willing to care for it, but also offered a full history of the material. Noelle Nicolai, proprietor of Coleville Home, and Hilary Allinson, leader of Hôtel Silver, know a thing or two about silver, how to use it, where to get it, and why it’s important to collect when you see something special out in the wild.
I also spoke with interior designer and antique collector Anaïs Stiles (owner of carefully curated House of Patina), who told me, “Silver never really goes out of style, but I think people are rediscovering it because it adds instant depth and character to a home. In a world of mass production, antique silver feels personal.”
But why do people like me, who know little about silver, love it so much? Nicolai has a theory: “Silver is the most reflective of all metals and is super lustrous, adding texture and light to any space,” she says. “It catches candlelight well, and it ages with a soft, dimensional patina.”
Antique silver, even when polished to perfection, also lends an air of historical character to a contemporary home.
“Silver is one of the oldest worked metals in history, with silversmithing tracing back the last 5,000 years,” Nicolai explains. “For centuries, silver was the metal of feast tables, royal commissions, and sacred religious objects.”
The material feels refined to use, and it can mix surprisingly well with existing home decor. For aspiring silver collectors (like yours truly), here are some of the most important things the experts say to keep in mind when you’re starting to shop for this material.
The Different Kinds of Silver
Generally speaking, there are two types of silver: sterling and silverplate. Sterling, Allinson says, is at least 93 percent pure silver and no more than 7 percent alloy for strength.
“Hallmarks indicating that the piece is sterling include ‘925’ (for 92.5 percent pure silver) and ‘sterling' stamped on the base of the piece,” she explains.
Silverplate contains much less pure silver and is often what you’ll find if you’re shopping for antique silver homewares. That, at least, was my experience when I was shopping for a silver tray to add to my dresser at home.
“Silver-plate or EPNS (electroplated nickel silver) is not solid silver,” Allinson says. “It's a base of metal alloys (nickel, copper, zinc, or sometimes brass) plated with a layer of pure silver. Commonly known as silverplate.”
How to Authenticate Silver
Unlike buying a chair at your local vintage store and hoping that it’s secretly worth thousands, silver is much easier to authenticate. Just look for the maker’s mark—all of the most notable silver manufacturers have imprinted their name onto the piece. Or, there’s another feature to look for that will quickly distinguish true silver from an alloy.
“Look at high-wear points (e.g., the edges of a tray, the rim of a creamer). On silverplate, you may see a yellow hue where the base metal has worn through the silver layer, a sign that repeated polishing has stripped the plating,” Nicolai warns.
A Case for Collecting (and Using!) Silver
While you might feel trepidatious about using your beautiful silver implements, lest they tarnish, the experts would say that you’re missing the point.
“Silver 4000 was designed for everyday use in bustling commercial venues. Rather than tucking it away in cabinets until holiday time, we encourage our collectors to use their silver every day,” Allinson says. “All of a sudden, that morning cup of coffee or tea, poured from a vintage European silver pot, becomes an occasion.”
Yes, silver may require a touch more care than regular flatware, but not by much. Just wash your silver by hand and, whenever you notice it looking a bit dull, simply polish it. It’s really just one extra step that takes about five minutes.
Finally, Allinson attests that you need not wait for a once-a-year moment to break out your silver—if you have it, use it!
“We refer to vintage silver as ‘casual elegance’ because there's nothing fussy about it, and it can be dressed up or dressed down according to the occasion,” Allinson adds. “We often serve take-out on vintage Hôtel Silver oval platters with vintage kitchen spoons plopped down next to each platter.”
