Silversmithing has a great heritage, although nobody knows exactly when man first discovered precious silver and began to hammer it. Excavations dating to 2500 B.C. in Egypt show decorations cut in stone depicting the craft of silversmithing.

The craft reached new heights during the Renaissance, when intricate designs in silver surfaced. Here in America, silversmithing has a wonderful history, dating back to Paul Revere, who, most do not recall, was a silversmith. Hundreds of silversmiths flourished during Colonial times, known for their designs of simple grace and perfect proportion, making silversmithing one of America’s richest trades, steeped in history.

In the Bible, Joseph was rich in silver, gold and oxen; and in pre-Christian civilizations, silver was more precious than gold. To the early Egyptians, silver had a religious significance and was widely used as articles of worship.

The term sterling comes from Easterlings, a group of German traders who frequented England in the 1200s and paid for their ware with silver. Hence, the English term for money is sterling.

Silver, as we know it today, dates to the 16th and 17th centuries. Prior to that, silver was available only to wealthy nobility or to the church. In England, under the reign of Oliver Cromwell, silver lay dormant, but with the restoration of the monarchy, prosperity increased as did a boom in silversmithing. Cupboards were filled with silver items and this was known as the golden era of the Baroque.

Back in the colonies, those with precious metal coins took them to the local smith who would fashion a tankard or cup. In the years leading to the American Revolution, colonists found more time for the finer things, and silversmiths developed a real style, even though they did not enjoy the fine tools that their European brethren did.

After the war, silver flourished under Yankee craftsmen, who followed the rich, vibrant styles of England, where rococo designs were very popular. Then, with the turn of the century and the art nouveau period in full swing, American design became subtler in shape and decoration.

STERLING has long been the recognized standard for solid silver, although in present day America with free time at a premium and fewer discretionary dollars, fewer homes own sterling. Sterling, by law, must be 925 parts pure silver and 75 parts alloy, usually copper, which provides strength and hardness, since pure silver is soft. As silver bullion increases in price, so too does sterling tableware.

Silver can be hammered into sheets so thin that 100,000 of these stacked sheets would measure but an inch. Silver can be drawn into a wire finer than human hair. And sterling may be the most hygienic metal with actual germ-killing properties. It is through use and gradual accumulation of microscopic scratches that sterling achieves its lustrous patina.

SILVERPLATE has a base metal, usually an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc, that is then plated with silver, which is electrostatically applied or coated to the alloy base.

The old Sheffield process for silverplate was discovered by accident in the mid-1700s, when a cutler was repairing a knife blade and heated two metals, silver and copper, which fused to create a silver sandwich around the copper. In the mid-1800s, the process of electroplating was invented.

The quality of silverplate is based on the amount of silver deposited on the base. Other factors adding to the quality are the weight of the base metal, the intricacy of the decoration, and the amount of operations necessary to trim and smooth the base.

STAINLESS steel is an alloy comprised of steel, which is composed of iron, chromium, and nickel. Chromium keeps iron from rusting, and nickel enhances the finish. 18/8 and 18/10 refer to the ratio of chromium and nickel; 18/10 has more nickel, which assures a satin-like sheen. The weight of stainless is an indication of its quality, as is the balance of the piece.

The discovery of stainless is credited to Harry Brealey, who, in 1913, mixed chromium and carbon steel to make a better rifle barrel. To manufacture stainless, blanks of steel are rolled to the right proportions for bowls and tines. Dies must be made and are used to stamp the pattern. Pieces are trimmed and polished.

Various finishes include matte and mirror. The mirror - or bright finish - is highly polished and reflective; a matte finish is a buffed or duller finish. An oxidation finish leaves black deposits to accentuate the design. And gold accented stainless is produced much like silverplate, where gold is electrostatically applied in a bath.

BRASS dates back to 500 B.C. to the Greek island of Rhodes, although the Romans were the first to widely use brass to fashion coins, kettles, and ornaments.

A brass foundry in 1647 in Lynn, Massachusetts was the first in the U.S. But during colonial times, brass didn’t fare well, hampered by politics between England and America, and England banned the manufacture of brass here. During the 18th century, brass was formed by sand casting, where sand and clay were packed around the pattern of an object to be cast to form a mold.

Today, a brass rod or billet is heated to 1400 degrees and placed on a set of dies which are stamped on the brass and which forces the metal into the shape of the dies. The metal’s molecules compress, producing ware twice as strong as the original billet and free of imperfections. This process is called forging.

ALLOYS - A group of silvery colored alloys, under registered trademarks like Armetale, Nambé, Ameriloy, et al, are comprised of several metals including aluminum, as well as up to nine other elements. An alloy is usually sand cast. An impression is made in sand, and molten metal is poured in. After the metal solidifies - within five minutes - the mold is broken to release the piece which then goes through a series of processes, including grinding to finish the rough edges, burnishing, and polishing. There can be as many as 45 steps in all. Alloys can be polished to a low luster or mirror finish.

PEWTER has one of the richest histories, but it also has the hardest time dispelling its negative myths.

Pewter was first made in ancient China and the Roman Empire. During the 16th and 17th centuries, pewter was widely used in both Europe and Colonial America. But the manufacture of pewter changed drastically in the 16th century and the lead content of ancient pewter became its curse, leaving many to believe pewter caused lead poisoning.

Today, pewter is lead-free, primarily composed of tin, which is combined with antimony and copper. Pewter is a relatively soft alloy because its primary element tin is a soft metal. The antimony and copper provide pewter with its strength. Because pewter is more flexible than other metals, it can be formed in many ways, including casting or spinning. Casting produces a stronger and harder product. Handles, spouts, figurines, and jewelry are usually cast.

Most hollow pewter is spun. In this technique, a thin disc rolled from a pewter sheet is used. The disc is clamped into a lathe and is shaped by displacement of the metal by external force while the disc spins on a lathe. When parts are soldered together, the joints should be invisible after buffing and finishing. Spun pewterware is characterized by a lighter weight than cast pewter.

Because pewter is soft, it can scratch easily. This characteristic enables craftsmen to give pewter ware a range of finishes from mirror bright to satiny low luster.