A local customer recently walked through the front door, having seen our attractive window display featuring beautiful, shiny pewter pieces. She announced to us that she was finished with continually polishing her large collection of sterling silver tableware and was switching to maintenance-free, non-tarnishing pewter!
She was amazed at the large assortment of pewter items we offer and immediately purchased a Revere Bowl, a Four-Sided Nut Bowl and 5 x 7 Wide Border Picture Frame. This same customer left by saying she would return periodically to purchase a pewter replacement for each sterling piece she owned, with the ultimate intention of replacing every one. I think she will be a very good customer!
This scenario led me to think about my own extensive sterling silver collection. The pieces in my possession are family heirlooms handed down through the generations or wedding gifts received more than 32 years ago. Each piece is beautiful and meaningful, but where are they now? Hidden away in a closed armoire, carefully wrapped in the original felt and enclosed in plastic bags. I can’t even remember what is there anymore! The next question – when do I ever use my beautiful sterling? The answer – almost never, since it’s just too much trouble to route through the stacks, unwrap and then subsequently polish the now-tarnished silver. So now I’m wondering if this clever customer isn’t onto something big!
Polished pewter has the look of fine sterling, but since it is non-tarnishing, needs only occasional care with a gentle polish such as Mish’s Pewter Polish. It is made of the highest quality lead-free alloy, so it will never tarnish, rust or corrode. Pewter is completely food safe and with the proper care, can last for generations. We recommend washing your pewter in warm, soapy water using a mild soap and dry with a soft towel. Remember to NEVER put pewter in a dishwasher or expose it to excessive heat or an open flame. If cared for in this manner, pewter will maintain its lovely patina for years to come – with no work!
The Best Selling Monticello Jefferson Cup
I often wonder what Thomas Jefferson would think if he could see how many Jefferson Cups have been purchased, engraved and presented as gifts. Mr. Jefferson started with a simple model and two silver cups that were bequeathed to him by his friend, George Wythe. With written instructions to a silversmith, he requested that the two inherited silver cups be melted down to make a set of 8 cups following his specific design. Each cup was to have the inside gilded with gold. This set of cups was used by Mr. Jefferson at Monticello and were a regular part of his dining table setting. Of the 8 cups first made in 1810, 6 survive. In the 1830′s, Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Martha, passed them on to each of her 5 children and one to a grandchild. The location of the remaining two cups is unknown at this time.
This type of cup, or tumble, was a popular choice of drinking vessel in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 21st century, they seem to be even more popular and are used for much more than their original purpose. Today the majority of the Jefferson Cups are made of pewter, which is a very good alternative to the silver, in that it does not need to be polished. However, silver Jefferson Cups can also be purchased, and are exceptionally beautiful.
The Jefferson Cup is the number one seller on our website! There is a very good reason for this. Not only do the have the long history behind them, but they are so versatile and can be used in so many ways. They are presented as baby gifts, wedding presents, corporate awards, and trophies. We engrave a lot of them for scholastic achievements and graduations. We find that our customers use them as part of their dining service or bar, keep them on their desk or dressers for a catch-all, or just proudly display them to commemorate an event or special moment. Any way they are used, I’m sure that Thomas Jefferson would be astounded at how his simply elegant and elegantly simple cup has become such a popular choice for the 21st home.
A Great Gift for Your Groomsmen
It seems that it is so easy to get gifts for girls and women. Whenever I’m asked what I want for my birthday or Christmas, my standard answwer is “Something Pretty!”. Whether it be jewelry, clothes or something else for my wardrobe, or a nice decorative piece for my house, I think there is a wealth of choices for women.
With men, the situation is different. It is not always easy to present a gift to your groomsmen and have something that they all will appreciate. We do a lot of engraved gifts for wedding parties, both the bridesmaids and the grooms, and find that the gifts for the groomsmen almost always involve something for their bar! We have engraved jiggers, julep cups, flasks, and goblets. The most popular of those being the flask and julep cups.
This brings me to a new product we have just started to offer, a Hob Nob Flask and Beaker Set, from Reed & Barton’s Colonial Williamsburg collection. So far this set has been a big hit! I think mostly because it is a gift that, when used, is not just for one person. The term “hob nob”, first used in the 18th century, means to drink socially with a friend, or to toast one another over a bit of spirits. The “toast for two” Hob Nob Set does exactly this. It includes a stainless steel flask and two beakers, or cups, in a really nice carrying case making it a convenient choice for taking along to a game, on the boat or even a backyard party.
If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, but still within range of the most popular of groomsmens gifts, the Hob Nob Set is perfect. Your groomsment will be receiving a much appreciated gift that they will use again and again. And sometime in the future, you will be able to Hob Nob with your groomsman.
