Put yourself in the picture: choosing a silver photo frame

We all love displaying our favourite photographs, and most homes have a proud gallery of family portraits. Ever since the days of the Ancient Egyptians, we’ve been framing pictures to protect, enhance, and simply show them off! A silver photo frame looks perfect with practically every picture. Classic yet contemporary, eye-catching yet subtle, sterling silver makes an ideal surround for photographs. Here’s our guide to finding the right silver frame for your photo. What size picture you do want to frame? This is the first thing to establish. This may sound obvious; however if you’re just guessing, 7” x 5” and 8” x 6” are pretty similar! If you have a photo printer and like to create your own pictures, 6” x 4” is a good size for most prints. Many school photos come in 7” x 5” or 8” x 6”. Larger portraits such as wedding or graduation photographs often need a 10” x 8” frame. If in doubt, get your ruler out! How many photos do you want to display? If you have a pair of photos, think about a multi-aperture frame like this one from renowned silversmiths Carrs. Photos of three children look fantastic in this contemporary style frame (also from Carrs). With most of our frames, you can adjust them to display either landscape or portrait photographs. This isn’t possible with most multi-aperture frames, so think about the orientation of your pictures before you buy. What style of frame works for you? There are so many different styles out there! A simple silver frame will look good anywhere, so these are a safe option for a present. The cleaner the lines, the better the frame will look in a modern home. At the other end of the scale, there are elaborately-decorated Victorian-style frames, or classic designs such as a beaded border. Think about the photo you want to display as well. For example, a romantic, traditional wedding picture looks lovely in a decorative frame; however, a graduation photograph suits a simpler surround. If you’re displaying a photo other than a portrait, again keep it simple so you don’t distract from the image. Is it for a present? A framed photograph is a lovely gift. Our silver photo frames are perfect for a silver wedding anniversary (25 years), and they also make excellent wedding presents. If you’re giving a photo frame as a gift without a picture, stick to a 6” x 4”, 7” x 5” or 8” x 6” size, as these are popular sizes of prints. Personalise your silver photo frame It’s a nice touch to have the frame engraved with a short inscription, for example “Sophie’s Graduation, 20 July 2017”. This is possible with most of our sterling silver photo frames, the exception being ones with textured or enamel finishes. Please contact us directly to find out more. What finish do you want? As we just mentioned, if you want it engraving, a plain finish is a good idea. However, if you want to make a feature of the frame itself, a vibrant enamel finish looks great. You can also choose what the back of the frame looks like: do you prefer smart wood or rich velvet? If the photo is to be displayed with its back to the wall, this needn’t be a deal-breaker; both finishes look good against the silver! Keeping your frame in great condition A little regular light dusting should be enough to keep your frame looking great. If you feel it needs a bit more TLC occasionally, a light polishing with a specialist silver polish and a soft cloth will bring it up beautifully. Clean the glass separately – a microfiber cloth dampened with warm water (and just the tinsiest dot of washing up liquid) should give you a nice, smear-free finish. We hope that’s helped you choose your photo frame. If you’d like to have a chat about options, or if you’d like to find out more about having your photo frame engraved, please get in touch with us.