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.
An order recently came in for a really thoughtful way to honor all of the men involved in a particular wedding. There were 20 of them in all! Needless to say, the gifts could not be terribly expensive, but at the same time, the groom wanted them to be of high quality and something that these gentlemen would be able to use and value forever.
The couple choose our pewter Coin Jigger, which is an attractive accessory for any bar, however the groom intended for it to be used as a shot glass. The Jigger is made of polished pewter and has a Kennedy fifty cent piece embedded in the bottom, which can be seen from both inside or outside the cup.
The custom part of this order included a special engraving chosen by the client. On one side of the jigger was the wedding date. On the opposite side, they provided us with a drawing done by the bride saved in a digital format (jpg). This drawing was their wedding motif and had been used on the Save-the-Date notices, the wedding invitations, and the wedding programs. It was a beautiful image of a blooming laurel branch joining with a cotton plant, meaningful flora to both the bride and groom.
After we did a bit of clean-up on the image, it was engraved on all 20 jiggers. The custom engraved motif worked beautifully on this piece, giving it a a jewel-like heirloom quality look. Everyone who came into our engraving workroom was ohing and ahing over the results. And after our initial set up fee for the motif, the cost of this great groomsmen gift was very reasonable.
Heart Embossed Jewel Box
A nice gentleman called the other day in a panic! His 10th anniversary was coming up this weekend and he had to move fast to have something, not only beautiful, but appropriate for this special day. He had looked up the traditional gifts to present to his wife and found that for this anniversary the gift should be tin. Although traditional, by today’s standards, a tin pie plate would be a very under appreciated gift! And there really is not that much out there that could be considered worthy of such an important milestone in one’s marriage. But in his research, he found that quality pewter like ours, is made from 93% tin with a little copper, antimony and bismuth added for durability. Not only that, but the pewter shines like silver, will last a lifetime and never needs to be polished! His problem was solved! He was able to get three beautiful engraved gifts for his wife; a frame, a lovely jewel box and a set of napkin rings.
He had the frame engraved on the bottom “Happy 10th Anniversary” and had a great picture of them from their honeymoon that he was using for it. The jewel box has a very pretty embossed heart on it where a personal sentimental message was engraved within the heart. I won’t reveal what that said, but I do know that he was putting something in it. The napkin rings were the practical part of the gift. They are rather formal and so he had us engrave each one with their bridal monogram in an interlocking font.
I’m sure our customers wife was extremely surprised when he presented these “tin” 10th anniversary gifts to her. As they are heirloom quality, she will be able to treasure all three items for many, many years to come.
Consider that when giving gifts to twin babies, the gift doesn’t always have to be the same thing! Even though the babies were born at the same time, their gifts don’t always have to be identical. Why not switch things up a little and present each child with the same gift, just not in the exact same style? For example, we recently received an order intended for fraternal twins, where both were given a pewter baby cup. However, the little boy was given a handsome pewter Images Baby Cup with subtle design details, which was engraved with his name and birth date using a bold, strong Roman font. The little girl was given the same style cup, called the Bow Handle Baby Cup, with the handle of the cup crafted of a pretty pewter ribbon that is very sweet and ladylike – just like little baby girls! Her name and birth date was engraved in a flowing English script which enhanced the feminine style of the baby cup. Here we have an example of a perfect gift for twins - same gift, but made uniquely different by choices in handle styles and engraved fonts.
I’m working with a couple of new clients on engraved corporate gifts. One is a pewter Revere Bowl engraved with a military seal and a special message for the recipient. The question from the client was how to engrave this impressive gift and keep it personal, as opposed to giving something that will just end up in a trophy case.
In the first place, the client was smart, having first called the man’s wife to ask what he liked and what they could use. The wife mentioned that their formal serving pieces were made of pewter and that they needed a bowl small enough to serve nuts, candy or to use for appetizers. This is how they settled on the classic, practical pewter Revere Bowl.
Once that was decided, it was time to figure out how to be sure this corporate gift commemorated his service and dedication to his position, and at the same time, make the bowl something he and his wife would use on a regular basis. The company, regardless of what gifts they present, always include the crest of their unit. So it was determined that the seal would be on one side of the bowl. The goal with the other side was to convey a message of appreciation and recognition without having so much text that the bowl looks more like a trophy than an elegant serving piece. To keep it simple it was decided to include the recipient’s name and the name of the event where the pewter bowl would be presented. The customer chose a flowing script font for the name and gala event title which corresponds nicely with the military style insignia on the opposite side of the bowl.
The finished engraved bowl is simply beautiful. Hopefully, it will sit proudly on the couple’s sideboard along with their other cherished pewter pieces. And thankfully, I’m sure that the recipient will appreciate the care and thoughtfulness of those who first decided to present him with this amazing tribute.
Having recently sold a second Baptismal Shell since introducing it to the Silver and Pewter Gifts e-commerce website just a week ago, I was curious about the origin of its use over the years. I recall many baptisms and christenings where a shell was used to gently pour water over a baby’s head. I’ve also seen baptismal fonts where shells sit in the baptismal water and all who participate in the ceremony receive one as a memento commemorating the occasion. So, what then is the significance of the baptismal shell?
The answer, of course, is referenced in the Bible describing Jesus’ own baptism on the Jordan River by John the Baptist. By all accounts, John is standing beside the water with Jesus in it, and water is being poured from a shell upon Jesus’ head. That same shell has become a symbol of everlasting life. What better way to celebrate a new life?
There are many traditional gifts presented to young ones at their baptism or christening, such as baby cups, jewelry boxes, baby banks, frames, baby rattles, baby spoons, and even cash. But although these gifts make wonderful keepsakes, a Baptismal Shell is a meaningful and memorable one that will become a family heirloom to use for future generations. When custom engraved with a baby’s name and the baptism date or any other personalized option, the Baptismal Shell becomes ever more special as an expression of the love and caring of a Godparent, Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle or other family member or friend.
Imagine how special the ceremony will seem when using a beautiful silver plated Baptismal Shell to welcome the little one into his or her new church family. The delicate embossed cross on the handle symbolizes the meaning of the occasion, while the shell bowl offers a perfect place for a custom engraved message to create a remarkable family piece that will be cherished throughout the years.
The wedding season, usually the spring and fall, brings us lots of engraving jobs for the bride, groom, and all members of the wedding party. We do pewter bracelets and jewel boxes for the bridesmaids, jiggers and beer steins for the groomsmen and many wedding cups for the bride and groom.
The use of a wedding cup in marriage ceremonies is an ancient tradition with roots going back to Jewish, German and Celtic cultures. With strong symbolic meanings, a shared toast and drink of wine between the newlyweds is becoming an ever more popular and fun part of the wedding ceremony. The wine, with its sweet taste and bitter edge, stands for the moments in life where the couple will experience their ups and downs. The cup symbolizes the pledge of life long togetherness. And the drink from the cup, with the shared wine represents a shared life.
Lately, as this is the wedding season, we have been engraving pewter goblets, Loving Cups, wine cups and trays to use in the wedding ceremony. Typically, the tray will have the name of the bride and groom with the date of the wedding and is used to carry the goblets or cups. Our orders on the cups vary since there is no rule as to how the cups should be engraved. Some will have the name of both the bride and groom, some will have the wedding date and others will leave it off. There are wedding goblets that have the bride’s name on one cup and the groom’s on the other, again with or without the date.
I was at a celebration for the homecoming of a new baby. It was a very sweet welcome for a beautiful baby girl. The mom had a baby shower a few months ago at my house, with all the relatives and friends attending. She got great and practical gifts that helped her set up her nursery and prepare for her little one. When she brought the baby home, we were invited to be there to meet the baby and congratulate the new Mom and Dad. Gifts, of course, were given for this occasion also.
It occurred to me, that within my family, we were giving much more personal gifts. And these gifts were more along the lines of keepsakes and heirlooms, as compared to the onsies, receiving blankets and other gifts she had received at the shower. Of course, these are excellent presents also, and I would always recommend them as perfect gifts for an expecting mother.
At the homecoming celebration, our lovely new addition to the family was given a silver teething ring, a handmade quilt, an engraved baby cup, an embroidered birth sampler and a locket with her monogram. These are all things that were chosen carefully with the idea that she would have them to cherish for her lifetime. These are also gifts, while seemingly extravagant, are really inexpensive but impressive gifts. You can find a pewter baby cup for as little as $35.00 and small sterling silver baby items for not much more than that. I’ve seen onsies sell for as much as $30.00, so for a few dollars more, you can give a gift that will not be out-grown, cannot be broken, and will be around for a lifetime and more.
