What treasure do you have stored away? Is it treasure that tells an intriguing story? Is it inherited and being passed down from generation to generation? Does it have personal sentimental value?
One of our treasures is sterling silverware from both my mother and Russ' mother. My mother Gail's silver is a beautiful set for 8, a bit fancy for my taste, but I use it occasionally for big crowds. Russ' mother Helen's set is so extensive it came with a manual! The manual displays a photo of a piece and follows with description and detail of it's function.
Minuet "Dress-Ups" for Dinner Service The frills and furbelows of dinner! Surely, each should have its special server, especially when such servers have the grace and charm of Minuet. This set was purchased in 1927. The Minuet pattern: A symbol of gracefulness. The dance of lovely Colonial society. An expression of the culture of early American life. |
So what do I do with a 12 piece sterling silver set for breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea? And what of bouillon spoons, oyster forks, an olive set, berry spoon, cucumber server, lemon fork or sugar tongs? For many of the pieces in this set I had to go to the manual to even know what they were. I do love to set a pretty table, but it doesn't happen often because that of course means polishing silver!
In our 38 years together and of being guardian of this set, I have never used the dinner service. Each piece is just too cumbersome and heavy. The luncheon set is far more sensible to my way of thinking. We use it daily, but sadly it only gets polished occasionally. In writing this post I do believe I will get out the polish and make it shine!