Silver & Silver plate

When you set the table with silverware, you don't just bring aesthetics to the table. Silver and silverplate often testify to the quality of craftsmanship and a very special tradition that has developed in Denmark over many centuries. Whether you are a collector or simply curious about this tradition, on this page you can delve into the history; learn about the most prominent producers and designers of Danish silverware; and find inspiration for how you can naturally incorporate the most beautiful silver antiques into your home.

Silver or silver plated?

Silver and silver plating look very similar at first glance. However, the two types of silverware differ in terms of material, value and durability. Real silver – typically sterling silver stamped 925 – consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. The copper in silverware is added to strengthen the material and make it more resistant to wear, scratches and dents. Real silver has a high value and can be polished as many times as it needs to be.
Silver plating is a cheaper alternative to real silver. When a manufacturer makes a silver plated item, a thin silver coating is applied to a metal such as copper or brass. Over time, this coating can wear off, especially if you wear the item frequently or polish it too hard.
Although real silver has the highest value, there are also many advantages to choosing silver plating instead. Silver plating is more robust against both bending and impact. The items are lighter in weight, and the development of silver plating has also made it possible to mass produce and thus offer a huge range of shapes and decorated parts that would have been too costly in solid silver.

Silver crafts in Denmark

The Danish tradition of silver craftsmanship stretches back to the Middle Ages. However, it was not until the 16th and 17th centuries that Danish silversmiths began to organize themselves into guilds and mark their goods with city hallmarks, such as De Tre Tårne. During the 18th and 19th centuries, when the tradition of porcelain enjoyed great popularity, the craft began to flourish as an important part of Danish culture. During this period, silversmiths produced everything from silver used in churches to cutlery and corpus for private homes. Jewelry and silver ornaments also became more widespread.
Silverplate, i.e. gold-plated or silver-plated metal, came into being in the second half of the 19th century, and this made it possible to produce elegant but affordable alternatives to solid silver items. A large number of the industry's most prominent manufacturers – including Georg Jensen – have over time made their mark in both silver and silverplate, while others, such as Cohr, initially devoted themselves primarily to silverplate in their production.

Cohr

Silversmith Ditlev Cohr founded his business in 1860 in Horsens. In the beginning, Cohr was just a small silversmith's workshop, but when his son Carl M. Cohr took over in 1890, rapid development began. In 1906, the company was named A/S Carl M. Cohr Sølvvarefabrik, and soon Cohr was one of the largest producers of silver and plated goods in Denmark.
As silver plating in particular had quickly become popular in the wider community, Cohr achieved great success in the early 1900s, and the company was known for using both electroplating and various casting techniques in connection with large-scale production. The founder's early work was largely characterized by a historicist style, while his son's work developed in step with the functionalism of the 1920s and the art deco that characterized the 1940s.
Cohr's silver was considered "the people's silver" – widely available, functional and reasonably priced, and the company's plated goods have over time been exported on a large scale to countries such as Germany and England.

Georg Jensen

Georg Jensen is undoubtedly the most internationally recognized name in Danish silver craftsmanship. The company was founded in 1904 by Jensen himself, who was both a silversmith and sculptor, and Georg Jensen soon became known for high-quality craftsmanship that combined artistic design with functionality.
When the company was founded, Georg Jensen primarily worked with solid silver, but he soon also introduced cheaper silver plating into his catalog, making it possible for ordinary Danes to acquire aesthetically oriented everyday objects.
When Georg Jensen died in 1935, the company was continued. By this time, designer Harald Nielsen – the silversmith’s brother-in-law – had already put a beautiful organic touch on Georg Jensen’s production. In the following decades, the group also collaborated with design names such as Sigvard Bernadotte and Henning Koppel, and today Georg Jensen has the status of an iconic and exclusive brand both in Denmark and abroad, recognized for jewelry and home interiors as well as for silver and silver plating.

Grann & Laglye

Silversmiths Christian Grann and Ludvig Laglye founded their company in 1906, and from the beginning they specialized in solid silverware in a classical style. Grann & Laglye was identified with quality craftsmanship and a design language that drew heavily on historical styles. Their production mainly included cutlery and corpus objects such as jugs, bowls and dishes, whose design language typically stood in contrast to the gradually more modernist trends of the time. Grann & Laglye has not been in production since 1955, when the two co-owners sold their company. However, the company still enjoys a discreet but respected status in the Danish silver tradition, and Grann & Laglye's stylistic consistency makes both their works easily recognizable and extremely attractive to those of us who collect valuable and beautiful silverware.

Silver and silver plated table setting

Silver and silverplate can contribute to a very special atmosphere at the dinner table. Silver jugs, silver cutlery and candlesticks in solid silver exude classic elegance and can add both shine and weight to your table setting. If you combine silver and silverplate with, for example, porcelain or crystal clear glass, an enormously beautiful whole is created. However, it is important that you set the table with care by, for example, following these tips:

• Choose a uniform sheen (either glossy or matte silver) and keep the style consistent throughout the table

• Use cloth napkins and tablecloths in muted colors to highlight the metal's own glow.

• Combine your silver with mouth-blown or cut glass to create contrasts and lightness.

• Add candles in your silver candle holders to establish a warm and cozy atmosphere

• Avoid over-covering and let the individual pieces of silver stand out as the table's eye-catcher.

Regular polishing and gentle storage in, for example, acid-free bags is essential for those of you who have silver and silverware in your home. If you take proper care of both the silver body, silver cutlery and any candlesticks you may have, the items can be passed down for generations. Contact Harsted Antik, where we will help you find the right items in our range of silverware.