Best of British

This year we, as a country, are going all out to truly celebrate the best of being British. We occasionally seem to forget what a talented country we really are; this summer gives us the chance to be grateful for: The Beatles, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin and of course Prince William, to name but a few good reasons I am proud to be British. We have a lot look forward to this year, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics creating mass hysteria across the country. Many companies and retailers have placed a huge emphasis on celebrating our British traditions and trademarks. Having carefully analysed the merchandise on offer I can safely say that the British are most famous/notorious for eating and drinking traditions. Every shop is stocked full of patriotic food and drink suitable for a street party, BBQ, afternoon tea and the all- important sports related snacks.

Celebrating Our British History

Here at AC Silver we are continuously celebrating the best of British silver and jewellery, so I feel it is only appropriate to take a look at the pieces that will truly capture the spirit of the season.

This Edwardian Arts and Crafts tazza is the perfect way to display your homemade cakes and scones, complimented by two Chippendale style sterling silver preserve spoons for the jam and Devonshire clotted cream.

No BBQ is complete with a meat platter on which to serve your beautifully marinated chicken and who can refuse a cup of tea poured from your new Queen Anne style sterling silver teapot.

The AC Silver British Collection

These pieces are all an important part of our British history and will stand the test of time long after this eventful bank holiday weekend. We have a large and comprehensive range of pieces by highly collectable silversmiths and designs to suit everyone’s taste and budget.

So if you fancy investing in a wonderful piece of British history, instead of 30 metres of bunting and a new paddling pool, please feel free to browse our collection online or pop into the store, I will be the assistant eating my weight in jam tarts.

Do you know your silver from your silver plate?

Now that’s a sterling question!!

Essentially there is pure silver, Old Sheffield Plate and electroplated silver.

Each of these groups can be broken down into subsections relating to their composition.

Silver Purity

Pure Silver

Pure silver is graded using the millesimal fineness scale demoted by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy ie silver ‘purity’.

For example, the highest grade of pure silver is .999, and this is found in silver bullion bars – this equates to 999 parts of pure silver to 1000 parts of mass. We can now relate this to Sterling Silver, which is denoted as .925 – 925 parts pure silver to 1000 parts total mass ie an alloy of 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper.

Britannia Silver

Britannia silver is denoted as .958 and is therefore a slightly higher purity of silver than sterling silver .925, and German standard silver at .800 is a slightly lower purity.

(Britannia silver should be distinguished from Britannia metal, a pewter-like alloy containing no silver).

Quality Hallmark

All in all, ‘solid’ silver should be clearly identifiable by the hallmark. The most relevant to silver collectors is the sterling mark which confirms an item to have silver purity of .925.

For pieces assayed in England, this is depicted as a lion passant - a lion seen from the side.

For pieces assayed in Scotland, this is depicted by a thistle or a lion rampant – a lion rearing on hind legs.

For pieces assayed in Ireland, this is depicted by a crowned harp.

Old Sheffield Plate and Electroplaed Silver

Old Sheffield Plate and electroplated silver are a different ball game all together and may be considered as silver substitutes.

Old Sheffield Plate

Old Sheffield Plate was the process discovered in 1742 of rolling and fusing a very thin layer of silver on to a layer of copper.

The process allowed silver smiths to produce pieces that had all the attractiveness of silver but at a fraction of the cost to both the craftsman and customer alike.

Old Silver Plate was an effective and acceptable process which fell out of favour in the mid 1800’s when it was superceded by the technique of electroplating silver.

Electroplated Silver

The method of electroplating silver was introduced by Henry and George Richards Elkington in 1838. The electro-chemical process allowed a layer of silver to be deposited over the surface of a base metal such as nickel, copper or brass. The ease of this process over the Old Sheffield Plate method, in addition to the financial implications, made electroplating the process of choice.

Electroplated silver (silver plate) may be distinguished from solid or sterling silver by the absence of the silver purity hallmark mentioned above.

Electroplated nickel silver (EPNS) may display the EPNS hallmark.

Electroplated Britannia metal (EPBM) should be identifiable by the EPBM hallmark.

Britannia metal was generally used as a cheaper alternative to electroplated nickel silver (EPNS) which is more durable.

There are many books available on the market to help you identify hallmarks, and being able to differentiate between silver and silver plate, and silver plate variants is valuable lesson to learn.

Please contact us if you have any comments or queries.

Move over handbags and shoes…. jewellery has arrived!!

Jewellery is taking over as the most popular item for ladies to indulge in. Gone are the days of shoes and handbags being every woman’s must have accessory, and we say a very huge HELLO to the world of jewellery!

So where do you start with your jewellery collection? Where do you look for inspiration?

Well many fashionistas say the catwalks are a must see! Here you will see HUGE earrings that will drape the models shoulders, as well as oversized necklaces that are sure to draw attention (for all the right reasons).

Our top tips on where to begin with your collection…

• The more flamboyant pieces the better, make sure you collection is filled to the brim with statement pieces.
Sapphire & Diamond Bangle	Oversized Art Deco Earrings
• Collect pieces that hold their value, such as antiques and rare vintage pieces
• Your item of jewellery should steal the limelight from your outfit, and avoid anything subtle, you want people to stare!!
• Bigger is better, especially when it comes to dazzling with your diamonds
8.82ct Diamond 3 Stones	Diamond Baguette Shoulders
• Animals & Characters are back
Bug Themed Pieces	Multi Gemstone Brooches

I feel that is enough information to get you started on creating the ultimate jewellery collection that will make people green with envy, Oh speaking of green don’t forget emeralds and other bright gemstones are must haves too !!!

There is so much to consider when looking at collecting jewellery and finding those unique pieces, which are essential to make you stand out from the crowd. Please feel free to browse our jewellery range online or drop in to our store for a chat.

Will You Marry Me?

When you work in the jewellery business I think one of the most exciting celebrity news is the all-important celeb engagement, and so far 2012 has been bursting with smiling faces. Everyone wants to know: what does it look like? How many carats? And how much was it?

For the A-list celebrity ladies it seems that bigger is always better.

Adding up the Zeros

On New Year’s Eve 2011, Marvin Hume, from the hottest boy band in the UK JLS, proposed to Rochelle Wiseman, from The Saturdays, in the Maldives. The huge £45,000 heart shaped diamond, is said to be from Boodles, a London jeweller. AC Silver may offer antique and vintage jewellery, but can now add a contemporary Boodles diamond and platinum ring to the diverse diamond jewellery collection - You may need sunglasses ladies, this whopper shines brighter than the sun.

Another famous pending nuptial is that of Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez, Olivier proposed to Halle earlier this year with a large emerald ring set in platinum and yellow gold. The setting is engraved with a secret message that only Halle can read. The ring was commissioned with Parisian jeweller Roberto Mazio and the 4ct emerald alone cost $100, 000. I am pretty sure AC Silver’s 3ct Colombian emerald looks just as impressive.

We have been waiting!!!

Last month Brad Pitt finally proposed to Angelina Jolie, a union that has been surrounded by scandal and rumour for many years. The ring, designed exclusively by Brad and LA jeweller Robert Procep, took an entire year to design and is said to have cost somewhere in the region of $250,000. Even though the exact details of the ring have been kept private, even the untrained eye can see this is a high-quality stunning engagement ring.

A Royal Engagement

Finally we move onto possibly the most famous engagement ring in the world. In 2010 this ring caused a huge stir across the world as Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton. The whole of the UK rallied and prepared for the Royal wedding of the century. William proposed with an 18ct blue sapphire and diamond ring, designed by Garrard, originally owned by his mother the late Princess Diana.

Replicas have been cropping up everywhere, however here at AC Silver we have some antique/vintage/estate rings that were fashioned decades before the Garrard ring hit the spotlight.

I personally believe when your man finally bends that knee and produces that tiny black box (that you pray doesn’t contain earrings) every girl feels like a princess.

If you would like to make your lady feel truly special or like Ashley and me, you just like to dream, please feel free to browse our engagement ring collection and contact us with any queries.

Do you know your condiments from your cruets?

Sauce, spice, seasoning - served from what?

As several mustard pots and a couple of cruet sets have been uploaded to the ACS website recently, I was asked what’s the difference between a condiment and a cruet? On answering the question quite confidently, I then decided to research further, just to ensure I really had my facts right.

The fact is – the facts/definitions of condiment and cruet appear to vary, not necessarily over time and use, but between countries i.e. its a cross cultural conundrum!.

Here’s an amalgamation of what I can find looking up dictionary definitions:

Condiment

Derivation - From Latin condimentum ‘seasoning’, from condire, ‘to pickle, preserve’

Definition - A substance, such as a relish, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard or spice, used to flavour or complement food.

Condiments are food substances used to heighten the natural flavour of foods, to stimulate the appetite, to aid digestion, or preserve certain foods.

There appears to be some discussion (especially between American English speakers and British English speakers) as to whether salt and pepper are truly ‘condiments’.....

...........but that, I believe, is a discussion for another day.

Cruet

Derivation - from Anglo-Norman French, diminutive of Old French crue 'pot', and/or from Old Saxon kruka; related to ‘crock’

Cruet Set

Definition - a small container or set of containers for salt, pepper, oil, or vinegar for use at a dining table. OR (in church use) a small container for the wine or water to be used in the celebration of the Eucharist.

HOWEVER, on further research, here are a few definitions relative to countries:

British: A cruet is a small container, or set of containers, for salt, pepper, or mustard which is used at meals.

American: A cruet is a small glass bottle that contains oil or vinegar and is used at the table at meals.

French: Cruet – petit flacon (small bottle), and Cruet Set - service á condiments (condiment set).

From this, may I suggest it’s the French who have set the cat amongst the pigeons?? Using the word cruet and condiment synonymously....or has this (mis)interpretation of 'cruet/condiment set' occurred through poor / literal translations?

For me, I would suggest from my very basic research, a condiment is a seasoning, either liquid or grain, and the cruet is the vessel in which a condiment is held

.................Anyone any alternative suggestions??