Silver!

The Queen of Metals

Silver is special...and a litany of superlatives is needed to do justice to its wonders: Of the three precious metals -- gold and platinum being the other two -- silver is the most abundant, the most lustrous, the most reflective, the least expensive, the “whitest of the white metals,” the easiest to work with, and the very first of the precious metals to be used to make jewelry.

Silver was being used in Egypt over 5500 years ago and silver headbands from prehistoric times have been found in Spain.

There are many references to silver in the Bible, one of the most notable being a comparison of the words of the Lord to purified silver in Psalms 12:6: “The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

For all its popularity as jewelry, silver’s most important use is as monetary currency. Fully two-thirds of the world’s population use silver as money.

Silver has the same hardness as gold, around 2 1/2 on the Mohs Scale and, like gold, silver can be hammered so thin light will pass through it.

The leading producers of silver are the United States, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Russia, and Australia and each year, the United States uses 15 million troy ounces of silver for jewelry.

How Sterling Silver Got Its Name

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy, usually copper, nickel and zinc. For decades, German silversmiths refined silver for the English, adding alloys to pure silver to make a stronger, brighter metal that was then used in England to make tableware, drinking vessels, and, of course, jewelry. The English called the Germans “Easterlings” because as a people they had settled east of Great Britain. German silver, thus, became known as “Easterling” silver and eventually the “ea” was dropped and the metal became known simply as “sterling silver.” The Germans’ “recipe” for sterling silver survives to this day.

Silver: A Shining Fashion Star

Silver jewelry is popular around the world: Women in Egypt and India favor silver anklets; Hindu women wear silver bangles and silver toe rings; American Indian silver jewelry is enormously popular.

Silver is a wonderfully appealing luminous metal that is both affordable and precious and the world supply of silver is gigantic, thus assuring affordability and innovative design experimentation for decades to come.

Silver fits in nicely with casual fashion styles but it is versatile enough to also work beautifully with dressy, designer styles. Earrings are the best-selling category of silver jewelry, followed by neckwear. Silver bracelets with and without gemstones are a perennial favorite.

Other popular silver jewelry styles include big rings with faceted colored stones ranging from pastels to the deeper colored gems; silver chokers; satin finishes; and silver mixed with yellow gold in both 14K and 18K as accents, creating a striking two-tone effect.

Silver Linings

Silver is associated with the Moon, psychic energy, and purity. Silver also symbolizes peace, sincerity, chastity, eloquence, joy, and knowledge. The 25th wedding anniversary is known as the Silver Anniversary.