Heavy Metals New Mexico

Originally published in Boston Weddings, Fall/Winter 2006
By Sascha De Gersdorff

Navigating a registry list requires a combination of style and sheer determination. Classic china or Vegas flash? Eight place settings or 12? Fancy flatware or casual cutlery? Decisions, decisions. With help from local gift gurus and this season's best trend-must-have metallics-browsing for potential presents can be smoother than your first dance.

Metal has been making a shiny splash on the fashion runways at shows by designers Donna Karan, Derek Lam, and Vera Wang. Now that gold, silver, and bronze have transitioned into home accessories and tabletop designs, registries everywhere are brimming with bright metals.

Gold Rush
"All metals are hot," says Panamai Manadee, owner of Boston's Bliss Home. "Platinum has become a classic standby, but gold is really making a comeback in a refined, non-Dynasty way." Eighties excess has given way to simpler gold and silver statements, says Manadee, like platinum-rimmed plates and the French champagne and rose-gold accent pieces from Jean Louis Coquet.

Natalie van Dijk Carpenter, co-owner of Lekker Unique Home Furnishings in Boston, agrees that metal, and particularly gold, has become a mainstay on wedding wish lists. "It's all gold. Gold on platters, on glassware, on vases-it's everywhere," she says. "There has always been china with tiny gold rims. Now dinnerware companies are taking a chance and updating their plates for a more modern feel. They're making the gold accents bigger and bolder."

Tiffany & Co. includes several metallic items on its registry lists. "Gold is very popular, both in jewelry design and tableware," says Allen Nissim, Tiffany's Chestnut Hill director. He points to the store's Palladium china, with its radiating gold and platinum pinstripes and handpainted gold rim.

Local artisans are going for the gold too, like Great Barrington ceramicist Michael Wainwright. "Almost all of my works include some sort of metallic element," he says. His creative crafts and elegant tableware-black and gold crackle lampshades, gold- and -silver-accented pillows, platinum- and gold-colored photo frames-are available for registry at the Gifted Hand in Wellesley.

Basic Metals
Registry experts emphasize that gold and metallics work best as accents, with subtle finishes. In other words, beware of too much bling. "Most of the metals we're seeing are not gleaming," says Denise Teti, registry manager at Louis Boston. "They're more matte and textured and show a lot of depth."

Whether or not you want your housewares to shine, there are basic metal objects that Teti recommends every couple sign up for, such as a sharp set of stainless-steel knives and copper cooking utensils. The latter can serve many purposes, and often have brass or hammered-steel touches. "You can cook and serve with them, or put them on a display bar to add style to your kitchen," Teti says. "Copper is functional and beautiful and will last your entire life."

Stainless-steel silverware works for everyday use, and silver-plated or sterling-silver flatware is best for..... Visit Boston Weddings to read more about wedding presents.