The Story Behind this Blog

Being from the South, Silver is a very big part of my life. It doesn't have anything to do with wealth. Although those with more money - old money, tend to have more of it. New money tend not to spend their money on Silver. They do not have the appreciation for the warmth of the metal, the beauty of the patina, the story it tells of the generations past who have used it. A true southern girl comes of age when she chooses her silver pattern, long before she chooses her mate. If she is smart, she chooses that of her mother, grandmother, or favorite great aunt who in their benevolence will pass their silver on to her. It is the pieces in those sets, the pieces on our tables, along with the pieces we find in the corners of the displays in antique stores that prompted me to start this blog. They are beautiful, they are odd, but what are they, and what in the hell do you do with them?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Chantilly by Gorham

I have not posted on this pattern because it is the most popular sterling pattern ever. Even though it was originally introduced by Gorham in 1895, Chantilly is still going strong. It is even the pattern used on Airforce One. I am the third generation in my family to have it. (I would not have chosen it except I knew choosing it would pretty much guarantee I would be in line to inherit both my mother's and my grandmother's sets of silver. When it comes to sterling, I have no pride.) Of course, like most women of my age, until I started researching for this blog I had no idea there were so many lovely sterling patterns out there. But I digress.

So, I give the pattern, it's due.

 Tomato Server (7 1/2 inches)
Ice Cream Fork (5 1/2 inches)


Nut Spoon (4 5/8 inches)









Sardine Serving Fork
Lettuce Fork (9 1/4 inches)

Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

4 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 6, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    No pride is needed when it comes to silver! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AC WilliamsOctober 7, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    That would be most correct.

    ReplyDelete
  3. F HodgesOctober 9, 2015 at 3:49 PM

    Everybody and her sister had"Chantilly.". It's the Model A ford of sterling flatware. You're right--many have it because their mothers an grandmothers had it. Also, fifty or sixty years ago this and a half-dozen other popular patterns were about all that many retailers carried.. . .Given the easy access to hundreds of patterns on the web today, mix-and-match is much easier--and sets a more interesting table.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AC WilliamsOctober 21, 2015 at 8:07 PM

    There is no more to be said about Chantilly. I am still amazed at how popular it is. However, young brides most likely choose it for the same reason I did - it had been in the family for generations and I did not see getting any of my own so I thought I may as well go with the family line. Now I have 23 place settings.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)