What is so Special About Silver?
* Silver is one of the 6 precious metals amongst Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, and Indium.
* Silver is the 47th element on the Periodic Table, identified as “Ag” that stands for the Latin word “Argentum”.
* Silver has a special white, bright and shinny color. It reflects light almost like a mirror and its metallic lustre makes it very attractive and desirable.
The following are the properties of silver:
Atomic Number 47
Atomic Mass 107.87 g.mol -1
Electro negativity 1.9
Density 10.5 g.cm-3 at 20°C
Melting point 962 °C
Boiling point 2212 °C
Vanderwaals Radius 0.144 nm
Ionic Radius 0.126 nm
Isotopes 11
Electronic shell [ Kr ] 4d10 5s1
Native Silver or pure silver, occurs naturally and can be found on the surface of the Earth in the form of nuggets or dendrites. Most silver extracted from silver ores is found mixed with small amounts of other metals like Arsenic, Lead, Antimony, Copper or even Gold.
Silver and Gold make a natural alloy, known as Electrum, which is considered like a form of Gold.
The rest of the silver is not extracted from mines, but obtained as a by-product from refining other metals like Lead, Copper, Nickel, etc.
Silver´s malleability, ductility and softness –although it is not as soft as gold-, make it an easy metal to be worked with in order to create beautiful designer silver jewellery, tableware and many other artifacts.
All over the world we can find handcrafted silver jewellery according to the fashion and traditions of each land: silver rings, bracelets, bangles, earrings, necklaces, diadems, etc.
Silver earned the favour of women throughout History. They say that precious stones and gems look at their best when engraved in silver rings or silver bracelets.
Handmade Silver jewellery has been popular for millennia, not only amongst ladies, but also with kings, emperors and powerful men, who wore intricately designed mens silver rings and other silver costume jewellery.
Silver candelabras and chandeliers were frequently seen illuminating medieval dinners in sumptuous palaces and castles, while their special guests were served their meals and drinks in cups, plates and utensils made of pure silver.
When and where was Silver first discovered?
The date silver was first discovered and put to use is not exactly known, but some historians place it between 5000-4000 BC.
The first silver mines known, were in Anatolia, Turkey, and date from 4,000 BC. Many of the surrounding kingdoms would obtain their silver supplies from those mines.
The silver mines of Laurion, Greece, are located very close to the site of the temple of Poseidon. Massively exploited for centuries, these mines were very productive and catered to many countries. Greece splendour shone with the beauty of handmade silver jewellery.
The famous Greek “owl” silver coins were minted and used for trading throughout the kingdoms. Nowadays, the mines of Laurion are totally depleted and closed down.
Phoenicians and Carthaginians discovered massive deposits of surface silver in Spain that apparently the natives of the land were not mining. They began trading silver for spices and ended up creating mines and exploiting them. Spain became a main supplier of silver for most of the countries in southern Europe.
Many centuries after Columbus discovered the Americas, the new Spanish conquistadores opened silver mines in Peru and Mexico ,some of which are still in use nowadays. Mexico is supposed to produce 1/5 of all the silver in the World, followed by Peru and Australia.
North America´s first silver discovery was in Nevada and it yielded millions of dollars worth of silver. Silver is also abundant in Canada.
Silver Country Revealed in Bible Prophecy
One night, famous King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a troublesome dream, but he forgot it. He asked his scientists, counselors, magicians and astrologer to help him remember the dream. When he found out they could not tell him his dream-much less its interpretation– he got very angry and wanted to have all his useless magicians and astrologers killed. But Daniel–who was one of the king’s advisors–, prayed to God and supernaturally was able to recount Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and give him the interpretation as well, which saved the lives of many and made him a prominent man in the Babilonian kingdom.
The dream depicted a gigantic image of a man, whose head was made of Gold (Babilon), his arms and chest were made of silver (Medo-Persia), his belly and tighs were made of Bronze (Greece), his legs were made of iron (Rome) and his feet were a mixture of clay and iron (contemporary dictactorships and democracies). A rock was cut without hand and smashed the idol in its weak feet, making the whole statue crumble into dust and be swept by the winds. The stone grew into such a tall mountain, that its summit would peak into Heaven, and a kingdom of peace, love and justice was established forever.
Most Bible scholars interpret this prophecy as the Rock being Jesus Christ in His second coming to Earth, to end up with the pride and incompetence of man’s systems –as proven thru 7000 years of History–, and set up His Millenial Kingdom of Love.
How to Take Care of Your Silver Jewellery
If you have wholesale silver jewellery, ranging from rings to necklaces or bracelets, it is important that you take good care of this valuable possession by following these 10 tips to keep your silver jewellery as new.
