Silver elevates use, not only for the diverse religious rituals of Southern Asia, but also consumption of and access to once-new items: photographs, mirrors, railways, and automobiles; newly invented or traded foods including tea, coffee, Indian pale ale, wines, dairy products, relishes, fruits and seasonings. Many of these items originated in Southern Asia and were among the first tinned or bottled items to circulate in global markets.

A discussion of Southern Asian silver's artistry, functionality and cultural and economic soft power is accompanied by a spectacular array of 130 suites of silver and 22 design drawings.