I tossed out all my flatware and replaced it only with silver. Real silver is a different experience to use. The fact that it needs lots of care is one of the most charming things about it. Like a poodle that needs to be clipped every 8 weeks, you should give your silver a good cleaning. Unlike the poodle, silver is actually being worn away overtime you polish it . bits of it as wearing off and going down the drain with the tarnish. Such a delicate thing to eat with, but that is what makes it wonderful. How like life it is, slowing wearing away till till has a lovely patina from some of the under metal showing through.
I love the imperfections it gets and I love the tarnish. Some people just leave the tarnish and enjoy that. I love the wearing away , the living part of it, the dying part of it. How much more precious is a thing that is not going to last forever here.
That is why I love silver. In all its phases it is beautiful and a physical reminder to me that life is precious .