Sterling Silver Jewelry: A History

                                                                                         

Sterling Silver, or .925 Silver, is an alloy that is made of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Pure silver is too soft and malleable of a metal to be made into jewelry or any other ornamental piece. Therefore the most common form of silver that is used in day-to-day life is sterling silver. There is also Mexican Silver, which is actually more pure than the sterling variety and is made of 95 percent silver and 5 percent copper. Brittania Silver, another silver alloy usually used in silver tableware and wrought plates, is made up of 95.8 percent silver.

Silver has been known of since the Book of Genesis, where it was first mentioned. There is historical evidence that silver was being separated from lead as early as 3,000 B.C.E. Although this metal is (slightly) harder than gold, it actually has been and still is worth less in value than gold.

Ancient Greece first used silver to make coins, although it is no longer used in modern coinage. Silver has been used in the making of adornments for the body since these ancient times as well. The metal became a symbol of wealth during the Renaissance when silver was used in ornamental pieces to be displayed in the home or in churches. This eventually led silver to be used in the making of dinner ware. During the 19th century, expensive and fashionable flatware and other kitchen implements were made of silver in wealthy homes.

When the New World was being discovered one the main attractions to this new place were the discovery and abundance of not only gold but also of silver. It was said that conquistadors in Mexico during this time used silver instead of iron in their horses’ horseshoes because of the abundance of this metal.

Nearly everyone has heard of the gold rush on the Pacific Coast during the 1800s, but it is also a lesser known fact that there were many silver rushes in the United States and Canada during the same time period. These rushes were also in the western part of the United States, mostly in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California. This metal also contributed significantly to the economy and helped to create an increase of settlers in the western part of the country.

Silver played a large part in the history of the United States. Before the country converted to the gold standard, in 1900, it was actually based on the silver standard. Silver was used to make coins, flatware, jewelry and folk art. There are many political interpretations of the famous book The Wizard of Oz saying that the fairy tale was based on the time when the country was converting from the silver to the gold standard (Dorothy’s red slippers were originally silver slippers).

Silver coins continued to be used in the United States until the 1920s, but silver could still be found in coins till 1964. In 1965 silver was removed from all coinage in the country. Today, the only silver that you can find will be in sterling silver jewelry and other ornamental pieces found throughout the home.

About the author:

Amber Singleton is a writer for 925 Silver LLC. http://www.925silver4u.com . One of the largest online wholesale silver companies in Thailand, 925 Silver LLC is dedicated to providing the highest quality jewelry to their customers. Among their large selection of high quality items is a wide array of sterling silver jewelry.


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