In order to work silver, which is soft, a harder alloy, usually copper, has to be added. This makes the quality of silver very variable depending on the percentage of copper. Sterling silver is most widely known and used in Great Britain, Ireland and the US. It consists of 925 parts silver per 1000, a… Read More: Grades and Mixes »
The earliest forms of silver artefacts in the form of jewellery date back to the third millenium B.C. Domestic objects are not known in any quantity before those made by Mycenean craftsmen during the second millenium B.C. and later. It was not until the 16th century, with the discovery of vast quantities of silver in… Read More: Lustrous Silver »
There are enough old wives’ tales to confuse anyone with a penchant for silver. Because silver is a metal that oxidises, reacting to sulphur compounds and becomes black, the general belief is that the metal is damaged. This is not true. There are two things that silver does not like. Salt pits the metal and… Read More: Care of Silver »
Historically, in England and elsewhere, silver was and still is a precious metal that only the very rich could afford. Since most of the land’s wealth belonged to the monarchy prior to more egalitarian spread, silver objects were made by monarchs, noblemen and some traders as gifts for services rendered, marriages or as trading gifts.… Read More: Monarchical Silver »
English silver has been subject to the rigours of hallmarking as far back as 1300 when the leopard’s head was introduced, the King’s Mark, to show that the silver was of the required legal standard. This mark was to be followed 63 years later by the goldsmith’s mark, which, at this time, was a symbol… Read More: The History of Hallmarking »
Apart from jewellery, domestic silverware is a handsome addition to any home and necessarily hideously expensive. A pair of candelabra, however simple or inexpensive, will enhance any table setting. A set of flatware, a centrepiece, wine coolers, all add cachet to your reputation as a host. There is nothing like the gleam of silver juxtaposed… Read More: What to Buy »