In its heyday in the latter part of the century, Garfinckels expanded its line of merchandise sold to include some of the finest table ware in the world. Memorable names like Wedgwood, Royal Crown Derby, Waterford, Lalique and more. Here is a collection of tips on how to maintain your collection of china, silver (both plate and sterling), and crystal.
Silver Plate -
Silver: Items that have a thin plating of silver over some sort of base metal, usually heavy in brass, giving a yelowish color if the item is scratched through the silver to the base. Because of this, silver plate is almost never a good option for engraving, as the engraving stylus may dig up some spots of silver and not all, creating an ugly, uneven look that will not polish out. The best silverplate is made of pieces with nickel as the base metal. This is a white metal, so any scratches the dig through the silver plating will still look "silver" though may create tarnishing problems (more than usual) later.
Sterling -
Silver: Items that are made from solid sterling silver. This can include most any flatware piece except for knife blades (the silver would be too soft and would bend.) The exception there would be a butter knife that is small, and has less risk of bending.
Vermeil -
Silver: Pronounced (ver-MAY) This is a French term for items that have a thin plating of gold over sterling silver. The same caveats on engraving vermeil apply as with Silver Plate.
Stemware -
Crystal: The term used for any glass that has a bowl on a stem, such as red and white wine glasses, sherry glasses, champagne glasses etc. Those without a stem are simply referred to as "glassware." The term used for the entire collection of "items on the table from which we drink" is simply Stemware.
Flatware -
Silver: the items on the table used for eating that have solid metal flat handles, such as spoons and forks, and some knives (depending on the silver pattern.
Holloware -
Silver: And abbreviation of the term "hollow ware" referring to whether the item has a solid or a hollow silver handle. The table items which have rounded, hollow handles. This includes most serving pieces (salad serving set, rice server, etc.) depending on the silver pattern. Some serving pieces like the Rochambeau Stuffing Spoon are almost always flatware, even given their large size. (This is completely a technicality.) Silver coffee and tea services are often referred to as holloware. Note that with few exceptions, knife blades are made of stainless steel for its durability, and attached to a siver handle.
Silverware -
Silver. Do not use this name; it is considered gauche. Use "silver" instead.
Crystal: How to store your crystal stemware -
First, make sure that your crystal storage (china cabinet, etc) is on a flat, level floor that will not bounce - causing shaking of the collection. We do not suggest storing china and crystal on a wall-mounted shelf, unless it is a closed cabinet built in to the wall (not an add-on.) Here, take no chances of the cabinet falling off the wall and not only beaking your beautiful furniture, but likely smashing most of your collection housed inside! This tip requires that you have a very stable storage cabinet for your top-heavy stemware.
Store your stemware with the delicate rim side (the drinking end) facing up, standing on the base. This protects from any accidental chips which can ruin a piece of stemware (unless the damage is so small that it can be polished out by a professional jeweler or silversmith.