I have noticed that some people confuse tarnish with patina. The patina is the deep polish created by the silversmith/jeweler. Historically, this was a deep mirror finish. An aged patina is created by consistent cleaning and hand polishing over the years to remove and prevent tarnish from forming. An aged patina will be darker in the depths of any decorations and still have a mirror finish. Tarnish is the enemy of a nice patina. If tarnish is allowed to remain on the surface, over time, it will etch and pit the surface. Once this occurs, it is nearly impossible to return the mirror finish by hand polishing. Most jewelers will not restore a proper patina. It takes knowledge, experience, proper equipment and significant time to restore the finish without damaging the decorations and hallmarks. Most jewelers have only polished silver rings and they usually use polishing compounds that are too aggressive. They have to charge high fees to cover the time it takes and customers still are not happy. This is where I come in.
I have been polishing large sterling silver objects for over 12 years. I purchased a sterling silver tea set that was heavily tarnished. I took it to a jeweler friend who told me he could not polish it. It was too far gone. After researching and reading several old books on the art of silversmithing, I bought the equipment and supplies I would need to give it a try. After all, the set was only worth scrap prices as it was. I could not really hurt it further. I was able to improve the finish enough that it made me want to try other objects. I kept working on that tea set over the years as my skills improved. Now, it looks almost like the day it was made. I make no attempt to remove deep scratches as this would degrade the piece. I do not aggressively polish decorations.
I started polishing silver as a form of therapy. My oldest son (Corporal Michael A. Cole, USMC, retired), joined the Marines right after high school. On his second tour to Iraq, the Humvee he was driving ran over an IED. He was blown 30 feet into the air and landed in a water filled ditch. Through the miracles of modern technology and medicine, he survived. I sat by his bedside for the first 6 months. After several years of rehab as a Wounded Warrior, he was given a full retirement and full disability pay. He bought a house a mile from our family home. He became an alcoholic, joined AA, and met a friend. That friend showed up at 2 AM on February 10, 2012 and they started drinking. By 7 AM, the 'friend' had murdered my son. Stabbed him over 70 times. This was in order to steal mostly video gaming equipment my son collected. He was caught within hours and is in prison for the rest of his life. I got the call from the police at 2 AM on February 11, 2012. My life has not been the same since. I could not function in an office setting anymore. So, I retired and now I polish silver. It is very satisfying seeing a piece go from ugly to beautiful. I hope that you will appreciate my therapy. You are unlikely to find better polished silver on Ebay. If you like your silver unpolished, do not buy from me. If you appreciate these beautiful pieces, please consider offering a decent price to compensate for my time. I have 6 other now adult children (3 living with me) and an out of work traumatized wife. Retirement income is pitiful. KIds pay as much rent as they can.
Sterling silver is a minimum of 92.5% silver mixed usually with copper to create the sterling alloy. The weight is provided to allow the value of silver to be calculated. Even if crushed beyond usability, they are still worth their “melt value”.