People ask this at the counter most weeks, usually holding a goblet in each hand. We make pewter, so take the answer with that in mind — but the real differences are practical, not a matter of taste, and they are easy to lay out.
Tarnish is the main difference
Silver tarnishes. Left alone it goes yellow, then brown, then black, and it has to be polished back. That is the maintenance people quietly resent about inherited silver.
Pewter does not do that. It darkens, but slowly and evenly — the whole surface deepens together, which is what people mean when they talk about a patina. If a piece of pewter looks spotty, smudged or rusty, that is something sitting on the surface, not the metal turning.
One is for using
Silver tends to live in a cabinet and come out for occasions. Pewter is heavy, unfussy and hard to ruin, so it stays on the table.
It also holds cold. A stemless tumbler of white wine or a mug of ale stays colder longer in pewter than in glass, which is the reason the pewter tankard survived as long as it did.
We make goblets, tumblers, tankards, ale and pilsner mugs, a Scotch goblet with high straight sides for nightcaps, and a child's juice goblet on a pedestal so the smallest person at the table has something proper to drink from.
Is it safe to drink from?
Yes. This question is really about old pewter: historic alloys contained lead, and antique tankards are for looking at, not drinking from. Ours are made from modern, food-safe, lead-free pewter.
The one rule is the dishwasher: don't. Heat and harsh detergent will dull the finish permanently. Wash by hand in warm water with a gentle soap, and dry it properly.
Where the two traditions meet
The skills are the same ones. Our Queen's goblet was designed by the Canadian silversmith Lois Betteridge — a silversmith's drawing, spun in pewter.
And where glass suits the drink better, we use both: champagne flutes and wine goblets with glass bowls sitting on cast pewter stems.
The finish is a choice, not a state
Satin is brushed and matte; polished is bright and mirror-like, and it is the one people mistake for silver. Fancy means the rippled texture a piece picks up on the lathe. Two-toned combines them.
The finish changes how a piece ages and how it is cleaned, so it is worth knowing which one you have before you go at it with a cloth.
The honest summary: if you want the brightest metal on the table and you do not mind polishing it, buy silver. If you want something you will actually use, that takes engraving, survives a drop, and asks nothing of you but a wash and a dry, that is pewter.
Ours is cast and spun by hand in Fredericton and guaranteed for life — bring a piece back any time and we will clean or repair it at no charge. Serving pieces →