3.28.2012

spooning berries...

I was tickled to see a mention about fruit spoons in the April edition of House Beautiful.  They showed some gorgeous reproductions being made and sold here.  The reason I was tickled is because I have some lovely authentic vintage berry spoons in my shop right now for a fraction of the cost.

This one is from England and has an "S" monogram on the handle, a steal at only $12.


And this is a set, also made in England - only $20 for the pair...


I've been wondering about the silver flatware lately.  I polish it all before I list it but I've noticed not all Etsy sellers do.  This makes me think not everyone wants the tarnish rubbed away.  Perhaps some prefer the shabby chic look - that would certainly save me mountains of work.  I recently bought a bunch (technical term there BUNCH) of vintage flatware and it all needs to be polished.  Even with my trusty baking soda method, I would love to not have to tackle it all.  Here it all is organized on my dining table...


Can you see my dilemma?  I was thinking about cleaning some and leaving some unpolished in all their shabby chic glory.  What do you think?  Do you prefer it already polished up or with the original patina left on?

15 comments:

Felicity said...

I love the term flatware - it's one of the many little tidbits of language shift that I've picked up since blogging. Cutlery is the only way I've ever known how to refer to knives, spoons and forks - flatware sounds so cool.

As for the tarnish/no tarnish dilemma - I like your idea of offering a tableau - some with, some without. Perhaps your customers could have a little button to click or a comment section to advice if they want the decades of oxidisation left on.

Happy day - I'm off to play the spoons!
xx

thistlewoodfarm said...

I use the baking soda method and it works perfectly! I love your berry spoons!

blessings,
karianne

bronwyn said...

I kind of like it tarnished. I like your idea of offering both. Then you can see what you sell more of. If you sell more unpolished - yay you! Less work! Also, if you sell it unpolished, your customers have the option to leave as is or to polish it themselves. I would imagine people who buy vintage are used to doing this.

MJM said...

I like the shine! But I would not be excited to do all of that.

KR said...

You know me, shine every time but thank goodness for different tastes. Perhaps there are people who would prefer to have pieces with the tarnish.

angryparsnip said...

Beautiful Spoons !
You are such a trend setter !

I like the tarnish look but if you use them they have to be cleaned.

@bronwyn has a great idea.
Maybe you could leave them tarnished, show a spoon that is cleaned in your listing and offer your Baking Soda recipe and or offer to clean them before mailing ? Could save you the time of cleaning all the pieces.

cheers, parsnip

Andrew H. said...

I'm with MJM. I like the shine, but it is a bunch of work.

Maria said...

I like mine to shine - but since it isn't for me - then I'd say offer some with and some without....or offer it without cleaning and say that you will polish it if they prefer it that way before shipping :-)

koralee said...

Wow...these are lovely. Either way is ok with me. Lots of work shining them all. xoox

Alexa said...

Oh gorgeous. Look at the detailing!

Gage said...

I like them polished, it seems to do more justice to the detailing.

Beautiful!

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

I prefer it shined up but I've some old tarnished pieces in my shop and they get snapped up quickly!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

HAMPTON HOSTESS said...

oh my gosh--look at all those spoons! Simply gorgeous--I have one that I got for a wedding present, Tiffany English King--so beautiful--but I really hate to polish :)

Stitchfork said...

Ohhhhh! it has an S on it - sooo tempting!
xo Cathy

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

I don't polish mine and I kinda like how it looks- I suppose some people find it scandalous as when last year at our Hanukkah party a friend ran up and handed me a spoon back thinking she'd saved me from the embarrassment of having put it out by accident-