If you don't happen to win today...stay tuned. BNOTP is sponsoring another great Give-a-Way starting, November 16th. I don't want to give anything away just yet, but you're going to LOVE it!
Ok, I won't make you wait any longer...let's find out who won the wonderful Colonial Candle Give-a-Ways. Just click HERE to visit my Give-a-Way blog for the winners!
My Met Monday post this week is a little different...it's about a "Before and After" that can't really be created, but, is instead best achieved with the passage of time. There are some ways to speed it up a bit, because the "After" is very desirable, but, you pretty much have to just be patient and go about the everyday business of living your life. :-) What in the world is that crazy Susan talking about? :-) I'm talking about that elusive, mysterious quality called, patina.
Take a look at the pic below. The sterling flatware below is by Towle and the pattern is King Richard. Can you spot the two pieces of King Richard that are sporting a lovely patina? Capturing it in a photograph isn't very easy, but I'm hoping you'll be able to see it. Which ones do you think are patinaed?
What exactly is patina? A few years ago, I decided to add some additional pieces to my sterling flatware. The least expensive place to do that appeared to be on eBay. Buying individual pieces didn't make much sense since I would have to pay shipping on each piece purchased. Plus, often the pieces I wanted to collect were being sold as part of much larger "sets," so the only way to collect those pieces, like strawberry forks or demitasse spoons, was to buy the whole set and then sell the pieces I didn't need. That's when I really found out about this mysterious thing called, "patina."
I'd heard that word many times over the years, but I never really understood what it was or how it looked...that was, until my first "old" pieces of sterling arrived in the mail. Once I saw these old pieces of silver, I "got it." Not only did I "get it," I was hooked! When I compared the silver flatware I already had to the pieces in some of the really old sets I'd purchased on eBay, all my questions about patina were completely answered. However, it took me selling a few of the old patinaed pieces on eBay, followed by e-mails from those buyers begging to know if I had more, for me to realize those older pieces were the very ones I should be keeping. Not only were they more beautiful, apparently they were more valuable, as well.
What is patina?
Merriam-Webster online defines it this way...
pat·i·na:
1 a : a usually green film formed naturally on copper and bronze by long exposure or artificially (as by acids) and often valued aesthetically for its color b : a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use
2 : an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character
MSN Encarta's definition is:
Surface sheen: a pleasing surface sheen that develops on an object with age or frequent handling
About.com/antiques says:
A surface appearance of something grown beautiful, especially with age or use, which adds value to an antique or collectible and should not be cleaned.
You can "hear" about patina all day long, but until you see it with your own eyes, it doesn't really sink in. But, once you see it...you never forget it. It reminds me of the sheen of a rich satin fabric.
Take a look at the photo below. The flatware is in the exact same positions as in the above pic, I've just moved it all to another surface and added a stainless piece of flatware on the far right. Which two pieces of flatware seem to glow with a sheen and which four pieces look more like the Spode Woodland, stainless flatware fork on the end?
Did you guess the two pieces in the center? If you did, you are correct.
While "googling" about patina, I actually found websites that give advice on how you can give your sterling a look of patina...apparently others are as fond of this gorgeous sheen as I've become. Frankly, there is no way I'd do any of the things those sites suggested...sounded very risky to me. Some things are just worth the wait and not worth the risk.
So what's the best way to speed up the patina process? It's so easy, you won't believe the answer. You USE your silver...EVERY DAY. Yes, you use it, wash it (never in the dishwasher) dry it, and occasionally, if needed, very, very lightly give it a little polishing with a good silver polish like, Hagerty or Weiman Royal Sterling Silver Polish. I use Hagerty because that's what the most respected silver shoppe in Atlanta uses. This is one of those places where the door is locked at all times, you have to be "rung" in...and an armed guard stands vigilant inside. I figure if they trust Hagerty with their sterling, it must be pretty good. I especially love the Hagerty spray because it easily gets down into the hard to reach areas. If you buy the spray, be sure to use it in a well ventilated area.
One of the biggest myths about sterling, at least from what I've found, is that it requires a lot of polishing. In the 30+ years I've been collecting sterling flatware, I've only lightly polished mine once...very lightly. I'm guessing it's because it's kept in a tarnish resistant flatware box...those things really work! But the very best way to make sure you never have to polish your silverplate or sterling flatware is to use it...every day. Regular use and washing prevents accumulation of tarnish and speeds up that oft desired patina process.
For more information about caring for silver flatware, click HERE.
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