Restoring Antiques

Sometimes it costs more to restore an antique than the piece is worth. Fragile fabrics, especially dark-colored silk, will disintegrate in time, destroyed by chemicals in the fabric. Many crazy quilts have worn silk patches, and although an expert can replace the patches with a suitable old fabric, the cost is high. Many silver-plated pieces like trays or holders for glass bowls have dark gray metal or copper showing through the silver. Re-plating costs money, though—and it doesn’t add much to the value of the silver. Collectors want original silver, not a piece with new electroplated finish.