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Pewter is a soft metal that has been utilized by people for a very long time. There have been found objects of pewter that are more than five and a half thousand years old. In the same way as precious metals, pewter is being mixed with other metals to make a harder alloy.
These alloys are used in cups and trays. In Norway tableware are stamped with the symbol TK to guarantee that there is no led in the alloy, making it safe. Pewter tableware has to be treated with care, it must not be washed in a dishwasher or placed on the hob. Pewter is also used to make jewellery. At first sight it may look like oxidized silver, as it may have a highly polished surface with a slightly grey colour. Pewter jewellery is cheaper than silver jewellery, as is si much simpler to make. It doesn’t have the same durability though. Pewter quickly looses the shiny surface, and skin that is in direct contact with pewter may become temporarily gray. Please also note that not all countries have a well functioning system of forbidding led and controlling pewter goods. Imported jewellery is only sporadically checked, and may contain led, which is very hazardous. The only way of avoiding this, is to only purchase jewellery of precious metals. Ailin Roelvaag 2009 Bibliography 
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