6 Cool Facts About Silver And Silver Jewelry
Silver jewelry has long been popular. It's glowing and beautiful, sharp and stunning. However, although many people admire silver jewelry behind glass countertops, they don't always know a lot about it. To help you learn, here are six cool facts about silver and silver jewelry.
Silver is harder than gold.
Although gold is a popular jewelry material, it is pretty soft, and therefore it is often mixed with other metals before forming it into necklaces and bracelets. Silver, by comparison, is a lot harder than gold — so pure silver can be used to make durable jewelry. This is why sometimes a piece of silver jewelry is actually worth more than a similar piece of gold jewelry. The gold jewelry is often only 10-karat and therefore does not contain a lot of actual gold. The silver jewelry, on the other hand, is all silver.
Silver has been used to make jewelry for millennia.
Silver was discovered around 4,000 B.C. and was almost immediately recognized as being valuable. The Chinese began refining silver around 2500 B.C. Initially, people would make silver jewelry as a way of carrying the valuable silver with them safely. Over time, however, the silver jewelry became more of a fashion statement.
Silver is known for tarnishing.
One drawback to pure silver is that, over time, it develops a green-brown tint on its surface, known as tarnish. This can easily be cleaned off, but you do have to keep up with the maintenance to keep your silver looking like silver. If you want silver jewelry that does not tarnish, you can opt for sterling silver jewelry. Sterling silver is silver that has been mixed with a little zinc or nickel. The other metal does not really change the appearance of the silver, but it does keep it from tarnishing. Sterling silver is still more than 90% silver, so it is very valuable.
Silver is mined all over the world.
Silver is silver — the place where it is mined does not really affect its value. However, it is sometimes interesting to know where the silver used to make your jewelry comes from, so many jewelers do include this information on their labels or packaging. Silver is mined all over the world, from China to Peru. You can even find silver mined in Australia, Serbia, Mexico, and Chile. Some people like to collect silver from a certain region, and others love growing their collection of silver pieces from various regions.
Silver is said to bring patience and perseverance.
If you are someone who believes in the healing power of crystals and gems, then you may be interested to know that silver, too, has a meaning. It is said to help bring patients and perseverance to those who hold it. Some people like to use silver alongside gemstones because it is said to help attract and enhance the powers of the other gemstones. There's really no scientific evidence that gem and crystal healing is real, but it can be fun to think about nonetheless.
Silver is also used in industry.
One of the reasons why silver is so valuable is that it is not just used in jewelry. It is also used in various industries, which increases demand and raises prices. Silver is used to produce photography, to make solar cells, to make nuclear reactors, and to create LED chips. As industry begins using more silver, its value can only be expected to rise.
Now that you know a bit more about silver, buying your silver bracelet or necklace will be more meaningful. Have fun shopping for your next beautiful piece.