How to tell genuine silversmith crafted flatware.

Whether simple or ornate, a piece of flatware must be a thing of beauty that is pleasant to look at and handle. We follow 4 golden rules of silversmithing :

1. A complete set of pieces faithful to the original design.
2. Skilled artisans to blend, balance and elegance in each piece.
3. Old world know how to accurately reproduce the most intricate designs.
4. Silversmith hallmark on each piece

The law requires a square hallmark on each piece, be it sterling or silver plate.
Each hallmark has specific meaning :

- Minerva Head Hallmark guarantees " sterling silver piece "
- Silver plate Hallmarks #1 or #2 guarantee the thickness of the silver plating under supervision of the French government.

Base Metal

The 3 metals most commonly used in flatware are :

- Sterling Silver ( 925 ‰ pure silver in France)
- A Nickel silver alloy for better silver plate give the best malleability and silver adherence
- 18/10 stainless steel alloy (18 % chrome - 10 % nickel ) is rust free and non magnetic

Crafting flatware

Production of a piece of flatware requires skilled artisans and an average of 30 steps.

The main steps comprise :

- cutting out the first sketch out of a sheet of metal
- cold rolling to provide various degrees of thickness to the different parts
- carving to give the piece the final shape
- stamping to imprint design
- several finishing touches to smooth, polish and retouch to achieve top quality
- degreasing, silver plating
- quality control