Silver and gold, silver and gold – it’s the opening to a beloved holiday song as well as two of the most prized and precious metals not only just here in the United States but all throughout the world. From silver holloware anniversary gifts to selling Tiffany silver, there are many ways that we see the use of both of these metals in our societies throughout the world today. And with the holiday season quickly upon us, those selling Tiffany silver and the like are likely going to see a bump in sales over the course of our current month of December.
But though silver and gold are still hugely popular in today’s modern world, they have a long history that extends back centuries upon centuries, all the way back to the year of 3000 B.C. It was in this year that the first evidence of silver mining was found, in the countries of what we now know as Turkey and Greece. This information was discovered by the Royal Society of Chemistry and proves that the importance of precious metals is far from a new thing, a new idea, a new desire.
And the desire for silver and gold products such as from those selling Tiffany silver products like the sterling tray or sterling trophy has been present in all of the years between the discovery of silver and now. In fact, sterling silver was widely used in both the 19th and 20th centuries, so much so that pieces from these eras are marked specially, setting them apart from the rest of more modern silver pieces, such as those found by those selling Tiffany silver products. This is where the distinction of “sterling” comes into play, as more modernly made pieces are typically not described in this way. If the word sterling isn’t used as a descriptor from pieces that originated from this time period, a number stamp of the number 925 will likely be able to be found on the piece.
But why exactly is silver so widely prized? For one thing, it’s incredibly beautiful, something that just about anyone will be able to take note of. Silver’s shininess is one thing that is often noted, as silver can actually represent up to 95% of all the light in the visible light spectrum, though this is only likely to be the case when it is well polished. The origin of silver is also quite beautiful for many people.
In fact, silver is created from stars – more specifically, star explosions, which are also commonly and scientifically referred to as supernovas. It is perhaps poetic that, as a star dies, silver is born, death giving way to life in the way that it so often does in the world all around us. And not only is silver produced with the explosion of a dying star, but so is gold as well, making them two valuable elements, two valuable metals in our world.
Silver is given many different applications all around us. Many people have an antique silver tea set, for example, or even sterling silver picture frames. The sterling silver baby cup was once commonplace, and some are still passed down with each new baby that is born in a family. Of course, newer silver, like the kind you’ll find selling Tiffany silver products, is also popular and is commonly seen in jewelry products that are sold all throughout the country.
When silver is used for jewelry, however, it must be modified in some way, as anyone selling Tiffany silver products will be well aware of. This is due to the fact that 100% silver is far too soft to be used without combination with other metals for things like jewelry or tableware, as such products would be far too easily damaged with pure silver alone were used. Instead, the combination of silver and copper can be used to create sterling silver, which is, on a whole, far more durable and usable in the long run when we’re considering the use of and the longevity of silver products found with those selling Tiffany silver.
