For our new home, I decided that I wanted to have place settings on the table at all times, a la the fancy Martha Stewart and Better Homes and Gardens photo spreads. We have wedding china out the ying-yang but, sadly, no formal sterling silver flatware. Not wanting to set the table with my everyday flatware, but also not wanting to spend $3,000+ for a full set of the sterling stuff, I went looking for a set that would look good on the table, had a gold accent to match our wedding china, and at a price that wouldn't get me in trouble with my husband. Mission accomplished. The Good: For less than $100, service for 8 plus hostess pieces and a nice wooden storage box is hard to find. The pieces are the standard formal size. I read in the reviews from others that the forks are too large. No, they aren't. The salad forks and dinner forks are the standard size for a formal dinner place setting, so that's nice. The Gold Newcastle are lovely, with just enough gold to match our Mikasa "Wedding Band" china pattern, but not so much gold that it looks tacky. It's just right. They came out of the dishwasher looking great, and they look spectaclar on the table. And again, the price cannot be beat. The Bad: These suckers are LIGHT. They are less weighty and substantial than my daily-use Oneida flatware. If I was having a formal dinner party for my husband's work colleagues or other people who I would be worried about impressing, I would be worried about how lightweight these are. For having a family dinner or a bunch of friends or something.... They aren't going to judge me on my flatware. But yes, if I was having a formal occasion, these are not the weight that I would want at all. I am sure they probably bend easily as well, though I obviously haven't tried. Ha! We have two teenagers, so we don't have small children who are rough on the silverware, but if you have little ones... They would probably be able to bend these if they put their minds to it. The Short n' Sweet: Look more expensive than they are until you pick them up... But they're at a price that can't be beat. Someday, when we are done paying for college, I will buy a set of fancy-schmantzy sterling silver flatware for a couple of grand. Until then, these will fit the bill. Go ahead and buy them, just don't expect the weight of sterling.
