Make a habit of mixing high and low when setting the table.

This would reveal that the piece was not sterling silver.ĭon’t just trot out your matching crystal, silver and porcelain once or twice a year. If not, the middle layer, which comprised copper, would show through. A metalworker had to ensure that all of the exposed edges of a particular piece had to be covered with a rim of silver. In order to identify authentic Sheffield silverplate, you need to look for one significant attribute of the material. Securing yourself a Sheffield silverplate piece is like acquiring a little bit of history. Sheffield silverplate can command high prices on the secondhand market. Today, just as pewter collectibles and sterling silver are popular with collectors at neighborhood flea markets, antique Sheffield silverplate housewares are sought after for their appearance and rich history. They could impress guests with housewares that looked like sterling silver but actually weren't. For families that couldn’t afford the sterling-silver tureens that were used to serve soup in the upper-class English homes at the time, this was good news. It was then used to produce a variety of serveware, candlesticks, buttons, tea sets and more. This new material felt like silver but was substantially cheaper. While working on a decorative knife for a customer - the metalworkers guild had been tasked with repairing its handle - Boulsover mistakenly overheated the silver and noticed that the knife’s layers of silver and copper melded together, creating an impressive bond. On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage Sheffield silverplate and other silverplate for all of your formal dining and entertaining needs.Ī cutler named Thomas Boulsover, who worked for a cutlers company in Sheffield, England, accidentally invented what we now call Sheffield silverplate during the 1700s.

Sheffield silverplate is a durable combination of thin silver sheets and comparatively thicker sheets of copper that was used to create a variety of household objects for years.

Plaster rings and domed covers