Pewter



Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and rarely today, lead. Silver is also sometimes used. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C (338–446 °F), depending on the exact mixture of metals.

Uses
Pewter was used in Terra's ancient world by the Egyptians and later the Romans, and came into extensive use in Europe from the Middle Ages until the 18th and 19th centuries CE. Pewter items are often found in churches. Pewter was the chief tableware until the making of porcelain. Pewter artifacts continue to be produced, mainly as decorative or specialty items.

"Unlidded" mugs and lidded tankards may be the most familiar pewter artifacts from the late 17th and 18th centuries CE, although the metal was also used for many other items.

In the early 19th century CE, changes in fashion caused a decline in the use of pewter flatware. At the same time, production increased of both cast and spun pewter tea sets, whale-oil lamps, candlesticks, and so on. In the late 19th century CE, pewter came back into fashion with the revival of medieval objects for decoration. New replicas of Medieval pewter objects were created, and collected for decoration.

Today, pewter is used in decorative objects, mainly collectible statuettes and figurines, game figures,  models, (replica) coins, pendants, plated jewellery and so on.