A Connoisseur's Considerations in Selecting a Sterling Silver Flatware Pattern

The selection of a sterling silver flatware pattern would at first seem to hinge entirely on the design of the pattern itself.  However, if one only considers this single aspect, you may find that you are limited in several ways down the road.  Typically, when one thinks about a flatware setting, we tend to think about it in its simplest terms.  That is-a salad fork, dinner fork, knife, oval dessert/soup spoon and tea spoon.  Most sterling flatware patterns would meet this expectation.

However, if you typically serve fish with bones, creamy type soups or other particular foods, you may want to have specialized flatware pieces from which to eat or serve these foods.  Not all sterling flatware patterns have these specialized pieces.  One must consider what dishes one will be typically serving and decide which pieces one will need outside of the standard five flatware pieces.  All sterling flatware patterns are different in terms of what they offer.

Another consideration is the size of the flatware.  Sterling flatware can come in four sizes-Continental, Dinner, Place and Luncheon.  If your dining table is large enough to fit in the great hall of a castle, you may want to go with the larger Continental size due to size of scale considerations.  Some connoisseurs prefer to have both luncheon and dinner fork & knife sizes in their flatware sets.  However, most guests won't even notice unless they are acquainted with the various dimensions available in flatware.

Every sterling flatware pattern also have a different weight and feel to them.  You may actually want to inspect a piece up close and personal before you invest.

A final consideration is how easily obtainable are the pieces in your pattern.  Some sterling patterns from such notable sources as Tiffany may only have a few dealers that specialize in them.  A popular pattern such as Gorham's Chantilly on the other hand, will be carried by nearly every dealer as well as having a variety of pieces from which to choose.

Bon Bon Dishes-What "good" are they?

Bon Bon bowls for sale are rather ubiquitous in the online auction arena.  People are selling them, but what exactly are they used for? When are they used in a formal dining setting?  As you may have guessed from its' name in French, these bowls are for candy and in particular chocolate covered candy.  They typically range in size from 7'' X 5'' to 3'' X 2'' if they are rectangular in shape or 6'' across if they are round shaped.

They could easily be used in conjunction with a punch bowl at a party. However, with respect to a formal dinner setting, these seldom seen today staples of yesteryear, usually made their appearance after the meal had concluded.  Their arrival came after the table had been cleared, the used napkins had made their appearance on the table to each diner's left and coffee had been served.

This was typically the time for light informal conversation at the table before the guests would leave.  In this situation, one would imagine that there would be more than one Bon Bon dish present and that they would be of different sizes.

The closest one sees a Bon Bon bowl in use at a formal dinner today are the mints one receives with the check at a restaurant.  Mr. Bowen, who is a voracious consumer of chocolate, strongly petitions the reader for the return of this seldom seen piece of holloware.

Holloware For Butter: You Can Stay Pat or Pass it Around

How one offers butter on the table depends upon the general configuration of the other holloware pieces on the table.  For example, if there are individual salt & pepper shakers for each setting, continuity would suggest that there be other holloware pieces of an individual nature as well.  In the case of a table with specific individual holloware pieces, butter should be offered on a butter pat with a butter pick to transfer the pre sliced butter squares to the bread plate or dinner plate.  The advantage of having the butter precubed and transferred with a butter pick is the lack of marring on the butter pat.  The repeated strokes downward on the butter pat from the butter knife will scratch the sterling. 

In the finest dining establishments, Mr. Bowen has seen butter sliced in cubes piled in a custard bowl with a seafood fork to transfer the cubes.  This is then passed around the table (hopefully in a counter clockwise fashion) with the bread basket.  Sometimes the butter is served as prepackaged individual cubes in a bowl or a couple of cubes are laid on the bread plate.  This results in a pile of wrappers.  Mr. Bowen has yet to see a waste bowl offered anywhere on the table these days.  Not very tidy indeed.  The advantage of having an individual orientation is that there is less traffic around the table.

If the table is set up for the various holloware pieces (bread tray, salt & pepper shaker, vegetable bowl etc.) to be passed around, than a covered butter dish with a master butter knife would fit in well with this mode of operation.  Covered butter dishes come with a glass or ceramic insert to prevent marring from the knife. 

Mr. Bowen only mentions all this to do about butter to remind the reader when one is constructing their table to be aware that some holloware pieces are specifically sized for the individual and others for the whole table.  Constructing a table properly requires forethought and correct use of the holloware pieces.

Valuation of Holloware by Weight

When purchasing sterling silver holloware on line, it is useful to know the value of the silver in the piece one is purchasing.  Reputable sellers always give the buyer the weight of the piece.  However, one does have to know and understand what the seller is telling them.  Some sellers give the weight in ounces, but neglect to tell the potential buyer that the weight is actually "postal" ounces not Troy ounces.  Troy ounces are how precious metals and gemstones are traditionally measured.  This is important as there are 16 "postal" (avoirdupois) ounces in a pound and 12 troy ounces in a pound of precious metals.  

If a piece is weighed in "postal" ounces, it will actually weigh less than a piece priced in troy ounces.  The price per ounce quoted for silver in the marketplace is per troy ounce of pure silver.  Thus, there is another factor to consider-sterling silver is not pure silver, but contains other metals to strengthen it.  Sterling silver is actually 92 percent silver.

There is a way to estimate how many troy ounces of pure silver are in the holloware piece you are considering to buy.  There are roughly 31.1035 grams in a troy ounce vs. 28.3493 grams in an avoirdupois ounce.  Thus, if one divides 31.1035 by .92, you get a little under 34 grams of sterling silver which equate to about 1 troy ounce of pure silver.

Mr. Bowen has found several bargains online using this method.  For example, Mr. Bowen purchased a Reed & Barton Windsor Bon Bon bowl weighing 130 grams for $47 including postage.  At the time, a troy ounce of silver was going for about $16.  If we do the math:  130 grams of sterling silver divided by 34 grams per troy ounce of pure silver gives us 3.82 troy ounces of pure silver.  3.82 times $16/ounce equals $61.17.  Not a bad deal for $47.