Steps to Take when Storing Antique Silverware for Safekeeping

Antique silverware is precious, so you need to ensure that you do all you can to make sure its value, appeal and beauty lasts for years to come. After all, these items make for fantastic additions to any household. In fact, they provide homes with luxury, character and a touch of elegance.

It can be difficult to maintain and safeguard antique silver unless you store the items correctly though. Fortunately, this guide takes you through the necessary steps to take to ensure they are kept in tip-top condition for many years yet…

Ways antique silverware can be damaged

Many chemicals in the air, our food and our water react with silver, so it can be a tricky metal to protect and maintain. Silver sulphide is the chemical term for tarnish which is the yellowish colouring (light tarnishing) or black film (heavy tarnishing) that you can see on silver that hasn’t been protected or polished. Although it’s not difficult to remove, tarnish can’t be washed off with water and soap, so it’s worth investing time into protecting your silver during storage to save frequent cleaning.

Silver will tarnish at a much faster rate once damp too, the Victoria and Albert Museum claims. Therefore, airtight containers and maintaining adequate levels of humidity are key to preserving your antique silverware. So, avoid putting these items in a damp cellar or stuffy attic. To store your silverware safely, it’s often best to use an airtight container. Place it somewhere in your home that is safe from oxygen and external pollutants that cause the production of silver sulphide. For example, opt for a cool, protected place such as a sideboard or drawer in your spare room, away from windows.

Don’t just consider external factors when thinking about what can damage your cherished silverware though. Each piece of silver can damage the other if they’re not stored properly! Pure silver is soft which means pieces stored together can easily scratch and dent each other. Therefore it is best to keep them apart during storage.

Looking to polish your silverware? Then be sure to always wear gloves and only ever use a soft cloth so that you don’t harm its look while trying to get rid of any dust that has gathered on it.

Considerations when displaying antique silverware

Just because you’re eager to maintain the look of your antique silverware for many years yet, you shouldn’t be afraid to show it off to guests. There are some beautiful, glass-doored display cabinets available to store your silverware in an attractive fashion. After all, part of the enjoyment of antique silverware is its ornamental characteristic!

The levels of humidity in a container can be decreased with the aid of chalk, silica gels and anti-tarnish strips, with these items also working to absorb gases which can react with silver and harm your precious antiques. Also, you can buy microcrystalline wax polish to use on your silverware items that you wish to display to help protect them from humidity, dust and pollutants. Precious items stored in places such as the British Museum and Tower of London also use this type of wax to help preserve important artefacts!

Considerations when storing antique silverware

The Guidelines for the Storage and Display of Archaeological Metalwork set out by English Heritage advises that antique silverware should be stored within a container that has been created using materials that do not give off sulphur pollutants.

Look towards these storage solutions to reduce the risk of your cherished silverware becoming damage and tarnished when they aren’t being put on display:

• Acid-free tissue paper and sealed polythene bags: make sure you squeeze the air out before sealing and add silica gel to absorb any excess moisture.
• Airtight chests or boxes: able to keep humid air and oxygen away to protect silver collections from tarnishing. However, this can take up a lot of space and, if you accidentally choose an airtight container made from a harmful material, you will trap the problem inside with your silverware.
• Anti-tarnish bags: available in a range of sizes and ideal for smaller silverware items. But avoid plastic bags — these will trap moisture and expedite the tarnishing process.
• Cloth rolls: compact way to safely store silver items individually, especially cutlery. However, this method leaves silver exposed to the air and you must make sure that the fabric isn’t harmful to silver.

Avoid pieces of silverware scratching against each other by keeping the items apart when in storage too. This means getting a storage box that has separate shelves and grooves (e.g. to keep cutlery isolated) or using individual bags, cloth rolls and tissue paper for each piece of silver and placing these slightly apart in their storage compartment (i.e. not stacked on top of each other).

Another consideration to bear in mind from English Heritage’s Guidelines for the Storage and Display of Archaeological Metalwork is that silver can be adversely affected by all of the following materials:

• Wool.
• Rubber (i.e. rubber bands).
• Leather.
• Felt/baize.
• Anything polysulfide-based or containing pyrite and rubber.
• Stained or treated wood.

Therefore, avoid problems by not using any of those materials when storing your silverware. The chemicals found in treated wood can harm silver and speed up the tarnishing process, for example, while ink in newspapers can corrode your silver. However, you can avoid this by using anti-tarnish bags, acid-free tissue and untreated wood coated with anti-tarnish lacquer.

Sources:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/silver-conservation/
https://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/utilityroom/silver.htm
https://www.shellac.net/RenWax.html
https://hist-met.org/images/Storage_Display_Metalwork_2ndPP.pdf
https://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-To-Store-Antique-Solid-Silver-Cutlery-/10000000177317389/g.html
https://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/storing-silver.html
https://www.thespruce.com/shining-brightly-silver-care-and-display-149392

This is a collaborative post.