Cleaning, Care & More

1. They have a unique, warm look and feel. Pewter starts out with a warm luster. Over time and with use, it naturally and gracefully develops a unique patina. Basic cleaning is simply handwashing with warm soapy water, follwed with a quick rinse, and towel or air drying. If you ever need a little more cleaning power, use a paste of baking soda and a little water. A little scub with a soft brush and this paste should be all you'll ever need. 

2. They will have a long life if you keep these few cautions in mind: 

Pewter is a relatively soft metal. Please keep it away from heat. Pewter should never be used in an oven, microwave or on the stovetop and should not be exposed to a direct flame. And it's not meant for digging into dense things like brown sugar or Ben & Jerry's ice cream,  or to pry open a stuck lid.

3. Their nice handles, comfortable weight, and accurate measurement make them a joy for measuring or scooping loose, lightweight items.

4. You can keep them near at hand with a countertop pewter post or a wall mounted, pewter hook strip. 

5. If you have kids or grandkids in your kitchen, they will never forget helping you measure with these wonderful sets.  

Pewter is not a naturally occurring metal but rather a man-made alloy comprised of a number of elements but primarily tin. Tin is the fourth most precious metal, ranked just after gold, silver, and platinum. (The reputation tin gets as cheap comes from so called "tin cans". Tin cans are in fact mostly made of steel with a very, very thin coating of tin.)

Pewter is one of the world's oldest man-made metals, having been worked into objects of art by ancient Greeks, Romans, and Chinese as early as the 2nd Century A.D. By the 18th Century the English had made pewter widely available for drinking vessels and hollow-ware. Did you know that the glass bottom pewter tankard was developed (by the English) so that a soldier could see his enemies approaching while drinking his favorite brew?

 America had it's own "Pewter Century" between 1750 and 1850 when many great New England artists worked in pewter. Vermont's earliest artisan pewter maker was Richard Lee. He first worked in Massachusetts making uniform buttons for the Continental Army. Sometime after 1773 he moved to Vermont becoming it's first pewterer.