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.
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