Good balance to these items. Very attractive in a 'rough-hewn' way. The 18/10 stainless (18% chromium, 10% nickel) should last for years. My only concern was the 'wrought iron; patina on the handles. I am reassured by the reviews of people who've had these treble clef pieces for a decade and find them to be still fully intact. Still, I would expect that if abraded they would effectively get polished and shiny in places. While you can get commercial stainless steel patina products, they generally contain selenium and are probably not safe to re-blacken the handles with.