Antiques, Tradition and Unity

As most of you realize, the price of silver has had many a family heirloom in questionable jeopardy.  For an interesting look into the trending ways of silver read Harry Rinker's post "What collecting and other trends do you see for objects made of silver" in The Ruby Lane, Notes from the Lane post found here
http://blog.rubylane.com/What-collecting-and-other-trends-do-you-see-for-objects-made-of-silver

With Easter and Passover on the horizon and Christmas just behind us, I started thinking of all the ways that family holiday traditions have changed and what that does to the family as a whole.  How do children stay in touch with the wonderful old traditions that we used to hold so dear (although sometimes begrudgingly:)).

As a child, my mother (now in her 70's) had the job of polishing the chandelier in my great grandmother's house.  Always part of the holiday preparations and always my mother's job.  She would carefully take down each sparkling crystal, clean it and hang it back it up...not an easy job but one that teaches a child the value of such a piece, as well as a respect for it's enduring beauty.

This lovely chandelier from The Old Light Warehouse on Ruby Lane reminds of that same chandelier...

My job growing up entailed polishing the silver and setting the table...because this was something that was only done a few times a year, each time I would notice a different detail to the silver or china that I hadn't noticed before.   As I polished each piece, I felt a connection to the many before me who had done the same job and a respect for the pieces that managed to somehow stand still in time.

This gorgeous set of 12 French Silver Knives is from 43 Chesapeake Court Antiques on Ruby Lane
It saddens me to think that future generations will not know the feeling of polishing that old silver or making each crystal prism sparkle.  It's one of the reasons that I find this business so enchanting.  The memories that are brought forth, as I browse the pages of Ruby Lane, are invaluable to me and to be surrounded by those who "carry the torch" of yesterday's treasures and do so with dignity and respect, gives me a sense of pride in my new home at Ruby Lane.

While staying in tune with the times is vital, there is something to be said about implementing some of the old with the new...of continuing to pass on traditions that may seem out of place in this fast paced world and of respecting the work and craftsmanship that went into each and every piece.

Thanks for reading...

~Pam

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