All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.A successful tablescape has a lot more to do with the perfect silverware set than you might think. Beautiful china carries its weight, sure, sky-high centerpieces, swan napkins, even—but there’s nothing like enjoying a meal with an elegant utensil of the perfect weight. The best silverware sets—the right soup spoon, a perfectly delicate salad fork, or an elegantly curved butter knife—can enhance the entire dining experience.We played “fantasy dinner party” and assembled a special cutlery set for every occasion: everyday use, silver-plated sets for special occasions, and personality-forward flatware for unique table settings. Now you just have to surface the perfect cookware, serving utensils, and a dinner-ware set to pair it with (one thing at a time).Our Top Picks for the Best Silverware Sets:The IYKYK Set: Sabre Blue Bistrot Brilliant Flatware Set, $60The Classic Set: Williams Sonoma Silverware & Flatware Set, $50The Whimsical Set: Maison Balzac Cutlery Set L'Escargot, $84The Budget Pick: Quince Gia Minimalist 20 Piece Flatware Set, $80For the Design Enthusiast: Georg Jensen Silver Cobra Flatware Set, $1101/10Sabre Blue Bistrot Brilliant Flatware SetIf there were such a thing as it-girl silverware set, this would be it. Beloved by AD editors Sydney Gore and Hannah Martin, this Parisian designer has refined the art of cultivating a curated, vintage-inspired tablescape. Pieces lean retro and Space Age with their acrylic handles, but aren’t something you need to handle with kid gloves. Each set is also dishwasher safe and ultra-strong, coming in all kinds of patterns and colors—from marble swirls to tortoiseshell.Includes: Four-piece set includes one soup spoon, one dinner fork, one dinner knife, and one teaspoon.Dishwasher-safe? Yes2/10Williams Sonoma Fortessa Arezzo Flatware SetIf you’re here in search of a high-quality stainless steel flatware set—no pomp, no frills, just a great collection for the long haul—this one has your name written on it. Fortessa offers a small catalog of steel options, and each one is as suitable for everyday serveware as it is for special occasions. The brushed steel gives this set a comforting weight in your hand, and the material is more resistant to smudging and scratches than polished steel.Includes: 20-piece set includes four five-piece place settings, each with dinner fork, salad fork, soup spoon, dinner knife, and teaspoon.Dishwasher-safe? Hand-wash brushed gold flatware. All other finishes are dishwasher safe.3/1018/10 Stainless Steel Forged Flatware SetThe flatware set introduces something you never knew you needed: a standing knife. Thanks to a specially designed handle, the knife is easier to grab and more comfortable to hold, plus it brings a refined elegance to your table settings with the matte brushed steel finish. All of the pieces in this set are forged from the highest grade of stainless steel, which also helps them avoid corrosion and wear and tear in the wash.Includes: Four salad forks, dinner forks, dinner knives, table spoons, and tea spoons, as well as a standing knife.Dishwasher-safe? Yes4/10Maison Balzac Cutlery Set L'EscargotThe snail shell embellishment on this cutlery set turns traditional silverware on its head, rendering it impossibly cute but not kitschy. The tininess of the detail won’t overwhelm any place setting, but will give it a little something extra. We’d pair these utensils with some ornate wine glasses from Maison Balzac for maximum charm.Includes: Two knives, two forks and two spoons made from mirror polished 18/8 stainless steel.Dishwasher-safe? Yes5/10Quince Gia Minimalist 20 Piece Flatware SetHere’s a no-frills set of flatwaremade from high-quality stainless steel. Designed by Italian heritage brand Sambonet (a name co-signed by the likes of DWR) as a Quince exclusive, the cutlery feels both contemporary and classic, with handles that elegantly taper so you can easily grasp them.Includes: Four salad forks, dinner forks, dinner knives, dinner spoons, and teaspoons.Dishwasher-safe? Yes6/10Georg Jensen Silver Cobra Flatware SetDanish design legend Georg Jensen is known for his sculptural polished metal decor, and those same contemporary design sensibilities carry over to his five-piece place setting. Featuring a delightfully wavy knife that defies conventions, and spacey spoons and forks that feel positively extra-terrestrial, this is a quintessential modern flatware set for collectors and nontraditionalists.Includes: Starter fork, dinner fork, dinner knife, dinner spoon, and dessert spoon.Dishwasher-safe? Yes7/10Mepra Fantasia Flatware Place SettingsThis retro flatware set has serious range, with brightly colored resin handles that come in over 19 different color options, from acid green to hi-vis yellow. Available in sets of 5 or 20, they can bring a welcome color element to an otherwise simple or elegant place setting—lending it personality and poise.Includes: Salad fork, table fork, table knife, soup spoon, and teaspoon.Dishwasher-safe? Yes8/10J.A. Henckels Zwilling Bellasera 23-Piece Flatware SetHere’s another set from the German knifemakers at J.A. Henckels that will spark some joy. Made of a combination of chromium and nickel, this is a great option if you’re looking for basic, everyday-use silverware that doesn’t corrode over time. Fittingly for the brand, special attention was paid to the knife, which can stand up on its own as its dinner table party trick.Includes: 20-piece set includes four of each: salad fork, table fork, table knife, soup spoon, and teaspoon.Dishwasher-safe? Yes9/10Oneida Everdine 45-Piece Everyday FlatwareOneida is a notable brand that has filled the silverware drawers in kitchens around the world for generations. The weight and taper of this particular set dignifies it slightly, giving it a certain design intentionality that you don’t find in other simple stainless steel sets. Simple lines and high quality steel make this set modern without leaning industrial.Includes: Eight dinner knives, dinner forks, salad forks, dinner spoons, and teaspoons, as well as two serving spoons, one sugar spoon, one butter knife, and one serving fork.Dishwasher-safe? Yes10/10Gourmet Settings Union 20-Piece Flatware SetThe undulating utensils in this Gourmet Settings set could signify to guests that you have a serious design knowledge, a membership to the MoMA, or both. This would look particularly good with simple Danish plates, a striped tablecloth, or an unassuming centerpiece.Includes: This set includes a dinner fork, salad fork, teaspoon, tablespoon, and dinner knife.Dishwasher-safe? Yes