When you are dealing with flatware in Stainless Sterling, it starts at about 120 dollars for a plate setting. The plate setting in sterling is a little different in stainless. In sterling you would have a 4 piece plate setting, which leaves out your plate spoon. So it's just the teaspoon, salad fork, plate forks and plate knife. Sterling gets a whole different range, since it comes essentially from the early 1800s. Gorham started producing sterling in 1831.
Back in the early days, only the high end consumers and wealthy people had it. We have many different patterns. We even have a pattern that is 110 years old now. It has been in existence for that long, but there are probably about 150 different pieces available in the pattern.
Back in the day, they made sterling utensils for just for every type of food, bonbon spoons and all kinds of different pieces. That's at the higher end. You have your fine stainless, which is your better everyday type of flatware. Then, you have your box sets.
There is another level down from there, where it goes into what we refer to as the house wares arena. It is where you get the much lower quality goods. The main difference in stainless and quality level is the percentage of the composition of the steel. There are essentially three different types of steel that are used in flatware. One is 18:8 or 18:10, which is 18 percent chrome and 8-10 percent nickel. The chrome is what gives it its strength and the nickel is what gives it its finish. Essentially, it gives the high polish. One of the questions that a lot of people ask is, "What is the difference between 18:8 and 18:10?" Within the last ten years, American companies started to classify goods as 18:10. Because of this, the consumer assumes that 18:10 is better than 18:8, but there really isn't any difference.
