Article by: Joseph Denaburg

Sterling Silver flatware and serving pieces are an economical way to make any table beautiful. Sterling silver has been a coveted commodity for centuries and now it’s more affordable than ever before.

Levy’s Fine Jewelry has the finest quality, pre owned sterling silver flatware, serving pieces and a huge selection of styles and patterns in all price ranges. The head of household has traditionally chosen complete place settings in order to have an implement for every possible occasion but when you first start out you may want to begin with a traditional 5 piece place setting.

The basic 5 piece place setting has a knife, fork, soup spoon, dessert fork, and teaspoon. The traditional way to set the place is with the knives and spoons on the right of the plate and the forks on the left. If you’re using a cocktail fork, however, it will be set at the furthest place to the right of the plate, as it will be the first utensil used. Forks, on the left side of the place, are set so that the fork used first is on the outside and then in descending order of need.

There are many, many patterns of sterling silver flatware to choose from that range from ornate and formal to casual elegance. You might not want an elaborate pattern if you enjoy informal dining; there are flatware patterns that have very simple designs or none at all. You can have a monogrammed service, too. You should always choose a pattern you truly like instead of one that matches your china. Over the years you’ll probably have many sets of dishes but your family silver will be a permanent asset.

The sterling silver flatware that you choose should fit your hand well with the proper weight and balance. Is the bowl of the spoon to your taste or is it too big to be comfortable? Are the fork’s tines too long or short? Are the knives too heavy, too light or just right? Does the flatware feel comfortable in your hand?

If you will be entertaining frequently you might want to expand your basic place setting to include fruit and butter knives as well as beverage spoons, fish knives, fish forks, cocktail forks, lobster and butter picks, salt spoons, demitasse spoons and ramekin forks. Of course you will not be using all these utensils at every meal but you will have every type of utensil you will need for any kind of service.

You can supplement your sterling silver flatware with fine sterling silver serving pieces for a beautiful, well appointed table. There are table servings spoons, gravy ladles, sugar servers, elegant mustard and mayonnaise servers as well as pierced tomato servers. You may want berry serving spoons, a salad serving set, a relish scoop, jelly server or a cracker scoop. You’ll also find asparagus and petit four servers, pasta and potato servers and lasagna servers. In fact, there are specially designed sterling silver servers for any dish that is on your table.

Choosing sterling silver flatware and serving pieces is an important part of setting up a home. You can buy place settings separately or get the whole set at once depending on your budget. Once you complete your set, whether it’s a service for four or two dozen, you’ll have a beautiful heirloom treasure to pass down generations that will hold its beauty and value.