Like the glowing and mystic moon, shines the alluring silver! Silver, the attractive metal is compared to the beauty of moon, since time immemorial. Valued as one of the most precious metals, silver jewelry, has been used as an ornament since many centuries. In fact, in olden times, silver was valued second only to gold. Even today, silver jewelry is considered as a very fashionable and popular ornament.
Silver was first discovered and mined in Anatolia, which is known as Turkey today. The ancients were also found to have been used silver for making ornaments and caskets. The Egyptians gave gold a symbol as circle as it was considered to be a perfect metal, while silver, which they believed was closest to gold in perfection, was given a semi-circle as a symbol. The Greek and Roman civilizations were also known to have used silver jewelry as ornaments. Peru and Mexico have been mining silver since 16th century and even today are the leading producers of silver. China, Australia, Chile, U.S. and Australia are other silver mining countries.
Traditionally, silver jewelry is made of sterling silver, which is an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. In US, only 92.5% or more fine silver in an alloy can be marketed as “silver.” Hence, you’ll find silver jewelry stamped with the number 925. Sterling silver is harder than pure silver and is, thus, perfect for making jewelry. A process called as “flashing” is performed on sterling silver, where it is plated with 0.999 fine silver for a shiny finish. Silver jewelry is also often plated with gold or rhodium.
As silver is more affordable than platinum and gold, and looks very elegant, there is huge demand for silver jewelry. Silver rings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, brooches, etc. encrusted with gemstones are very popular and look great.
Tips on purchasing silver jewelry:
- Rates of silver keep on fluctuating, so make sure of the rate before buying.
- Purchase silver only from genuine and trusted jewelers.
- Always prefer handmade jewelry rather than machine made.
- Look for the stamp 925 before purchasing silver jewelry.
