The Sogdians used expensive silver vessels

The start of the production of artistic silver vessels as a Sogdian cultural phenomenon was primarily associated with the "urban" revolution in Sogdia in the 5th–6th centuries AD.  

Prior to that, Sogdiana was almost entirely an agrarian country, with crafts in that period mainly focused on the local consumer and the volume of handicrafts meeting only the domestic needs. As cities grew in number, crafts separated from agriculture. At home, Sogdians used tableware made of precious metals both for secular events and in cultic practices. This is directly supported by a 5th-century silver vessel found in one of the Penjikent temples. It is quite obvious that some of the silver vessels were produced in the capital city of Samarkand. The bodies of bowls and jugs were most often hammered out of a single sheet of silver.

You can learn more about the topic in the book-album Sogdiana - the Heart of the Silk Road (volume XXXV) from the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections series.

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