subject: Sterling Silver Jewelry, History, Important Facts And Other Uses [print this page] Some Fascinating Facts about Silver Some Fascinating Facts about Silver
Silver is one metal that is getting rediscovered these days and silver jewelry has become hot in contemporary fashion. It is the taste of the
decade and everyone wants a bit of it from the MTV hot-steppers to the conservative businessmen.
Silver has a certain connection with the moon. Probably, that is due to its shimmer and glow. The metal has been associated with various religious traditions and mystic beliefs. Magic and mysticism oozes out of it as it sparkles with a vibrancy that is ethereal.
Silver has been used for Pagan ceremonies, used as a currency, has had trade value, and has been an ornament for decoration for those belonging to the highest strata of society.
Silver has become useful in many more ways in our daily lives. For example, due to its extremely high optical reflection property it is beaten into paper thin sheets and used in making mirrors. Moreover, silver can also be beaten into extremely fine sheets which are used for treating windows in buildings.
Just a few interesting bits of trivia for you; The name for the metal has its origin in the word 'arg' which means 'white' or 'shining'. The scientific name for silver is 'Argentum' and its chemical symbol is 'Ag'. Classification wise, silver is described as a soft, shining metal with variable qualities. The metal is the best conductor of electric and thermal energies.
Widespread usage for silver has been seen throughout different ages, for example, as
- coins
- tableware
- part of photographic equipments
- ingots, and most of all,
- silver jewelry.
Silver was regarded as a much more valuable metal than gold for many thousands of years. Pure silver is a malleable metal that can only be utilized in its true form when used in large quantities. It is more suitable for use as an alloy. For silver jewelry making, it is more often than not, mixed with less than 8% copper. This makes silver jewelry less prone to getting
scratched and losing its shape.
When mixed with other metals, it is used for such diverse purposes as dental implants, cement, batteries, making brass objects and for electrical
contacts. More amazingly, silver as an alloy is used for making rain through cloud seeding, and it can make a very powerful explosive.
Many myths surround this metal of the royalty. Some believe that wearing silver brings wealth to a person; others say it has a calming effect.
Another faction swears that it enhances psychic abilities making the wearer more intuitive. Although discarded by some as mere old women's tales, silver is thought to prevent both food and wine from going bad.
Mythological association of silver with vampires and werewolves has been the subject of many fascinating books and movies.
Medical science also believes in the healing power of silver, especially when it comes to burn injuries. Colloidal Silver is used as an antibacterial.
So next time you yearn for silver jewelry like that beautiful vintage Taxco choker or the sterling silver pin-brooch you couldn't take your eyes off, you have a lot more reasons to buy them other than that they simply look marvelous.
