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Facts About Silver
Did you know that Silver is
slightly harder than gold? or that the word silver
originated from Anglo-Saxon Seolfor or siolfur; meaning
'silver', and Latin argentum meaning 'silver'? or that
beyond jewelry and silverware, silver is also used in
Silver is used in photography, dental compounds, solder,
brazing, electrical contacts, batteries, mirrors, and
printed circuits? There are many interesting facts about
silver and you can read some selected ones below:
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Silver can be hammered into sheets so thin that it
would take 100,000 of them to stack an inch high.
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It can be drawn into a wire finer than a human hair.
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Silver can be shaped by hammering, spinning, or
drawing - it can be decorated with etching, chasing,
or engraving - sterling silver is the queen of
metals. There is no substitute.
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Through the centuries, the silversmith or goldsmith
has, by a process of elimination, become the most
highly skilled craftsman in the world today.
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In every generation the "Master Smith" would select
from his apprentices those best qualified for
training necessary to make a jeweler or silversmith.
The less skilled craftsmen stayed in the "minor
leagues" and became blacksmiths or bronze workers.
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Silver, as we know it today, dates from the 16th and
17th Century. Prior to that time silver was
available only to the extremely wealthy nobility -
or to the church.
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During the 17th Century there arose a new wealthy
merchant class.
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The "Gadroon" motif so prevalent in Georgian silver
is obviously derived from a rope which was a
decorative treatment used on the crude wooden tables
and chairs which a sea captain might have. When the
time came that his wealth permitted him to have
furniture made especially for himself, he oftentimes
had the rope or "Gadroon" border carved into the
furniture. Later, when silver was made to adorn his
tables, the same rope motif was used.
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Prior to the 18th Century, silver was found
primarily in the homes of the nobles or in the
possession of churches in the form of chalices,
crosses and altar appointments. At that time, most
silversmiths were subsidized by either one of the
royal households or by some local Bishop. The new
wealthy middle-class permitted a number of
silversmiths to support themselves as independent
craftsman. In the early 1700's, the social
revolution and the economic development on which it
was based, made the silver craftsman an important
man in his town.
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Jack Shepherd was not a famous early English
silversmith as is sometimes supposed, but rather was
a bandit and highwayman who was hanged when he was
21 years old.
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At this very time, (about 1701) footed silver came
into vogue - both in gravy boats, salts and peppers,
bowls, coffee pots, etc. Folks jokingly said that
they had legs so they could run away like Jack
Shepherd. This name has stuck to this very day.
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It is interesting to note how tradition has
influenced design in the tea service.
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When coffee was first introduced into England by the
traders returning from Central and South America,
there was no vessel in the home from which it could
normally be served. It was therefore served from a
tankard, but it is easy to understand how this made
for difficulty pouring.
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The first silver teapots were fashioned after these
low round china pots.
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Prior to 1847, only the wealthy were able to afford
table silver. The story goes that Sheffield was
discovered by a silversmith named Bulsover who
worked in Sheffield in the middle 1700's. In mending
a buckle he had occasion to place a piece of copper
behind a piece of sterling silver in order to
reinforce a break, and when it was red hot he had
occasion to tighten the vise which fused the two red
hot metals together.
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This Sheffield plate opened a whole new market for
silver with people who had the desire but not the
pocketbooks for fine sterling. This ware was made
for about 100 years until replaced by electro-plate.
Little true Sheffield exists outside museums.
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The date 1847 stands as a landmark in the silver
industry. The Rogers Bros., (William, Asa and
Simeon) whose names are synonymous with fine
silverplate, not only had spent several years in
experimenting and in preparing for the making of
silverplate but for many years, previous to any
knowledge of electro-plating, they had acquired a
vast amount of experience in the making of coin
silver such as spoons and forks . . . an experience
that was to have a tremendous influence in assuring
success for this new industry.
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Articles of sterling silver are solid silver through
and through. Sterling is 925 parts out of a thousand
pure. We have a federal law which requires that all
silver stamped "sterling" must be 925 parts of pure
silver in every thousand parts of metal. The
additional 75 parts out of a thousand are to add
stiffness and durability as pure silver is quite
soft.
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The word "sterling" has been used to mean
high-quality silver since the 1200's. At that time,
the coins of England had decreased in value and
contained only a little silver.
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The only European coins that contained large
proportions of silver, were those made by the
merchants of the Hanseatic League, a group of
trading cities in Northern Germany.
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These coins were called "Easterlings" to distinguish
them from the low-silver alloy coins of England.
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English speech contracted "Easterling" to
"Sterling".
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There is one other type of silver with which many of
you will be familiar . . . coin silver.
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Fine old coin silver spoons were actually hammered
from individual coins prior to that time in colonial
days when silver was mined in the American colonies.
In the early days, you actually took a bag of coins
to the silversmith and rather than melt and roll out
fresh metal he merely started hammering from the
coins. Many of these spoons were made from two
separate coins, one for the bowl and the other from
the handle, and it is possible to see on the back
that two pieces were actually joined together.
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Sterling tableware is divided into two categories
called flatware and hollowware.
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Sterling is the most hygienic metal known to man. It
has actual germ killing properties. It is also the
most durable art form and the most economical
purchase that can be made for the home. Sterling
silver grows more beautiful with the passing years,
never wears out, and can be passed along as part of
a heritage that grows stronger with passing
generations.
Myths about Silver
Legends of Jewels, Quartz
Mythology, Myths about crystals and myths about jewelry;
Some of those ancient myths and legends have come down
intact through the centuries. Others have evolved and
mutated as result of the input of other cultures...
Read more...
Back to 'All About
Silver' Summary
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5%
pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.
Sterling silver is the standard for charming beautiful
white cool luster of silver and is the standard for high
quality silver jewelry. The beautiful white metal of
silver has had an illustrious history, at times being
more highly valued than gold. Long used as a medium of
exchange...
Read more...
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Interesting Silver Facts
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