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History of Silver Jewellery Design
The word Silver can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon, seolfor, whilst the chemical symbol, Ag, comes from the Latin Argentum from the Indo-European root arg- meaning "white" or "shining". Associated with the moon, as well as with the sea and various lunar goddesses, the metal was referred to by alchemists by the name luna and one of the alchemical symbols for silver is a crescent moon with the open part on the left.
Silver has been used for thousands of years for ornaments and utensils, for trade, and as the basis for many monetary systems. Its value as a precious metal was long considered second only to gold. In Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe, it was often more valuable than gold. It is mentioned in the book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated from lead as early as the 4th millennium BC.
In heraldry, the argent, in addition to being shown as silver (this has been shown at times with real silver in official representations), can also be shown as white. Occasionally, the word "silver" is used rather than argent; sometimes this is done across-the-board, sometimes to avoid repetition of the word "argent" in blazon.
Europeans found a huge amount of silver in the New World, which triggered a period of inflation in Europe. The conquistador Pizarro was said to have resorted to having his horses shod with silver horseshoes due to the metal's abundance, in contrast to the relative lack of iron in Peru.
Silver was extremely valuable in China and became a global commodity, contributing to the rise of the Spanish Empire. The rise and fall of its value affected the world market. The Rio de la Plata was named after silver (in Spanish, plata), and in turn lent the meaning of its name to Argentina.
Being a precious metal that is easily adapted by moulding, engraving, polishing or hammering, most civilisations have used silver for jewellery with each era making its mark on silver jewellery design. Aztec and Egyptian designs are still influencing modern pieces and Celtic designs are still being made with silver and a combination of precious stones.
During the Gregorian Era, the style of silver jewellery is symmetrical and elegant influenced by the by the turmoil of times and the control of the church. In contrast to this, the intricate and complicated silver jewellery of the Victorian Era was influenced by a great interest in the old world as well as advancements in the study of flora and fauna. During the Edwardian Era, jewelry masters started to romanticized styles with ribbons and foliage adorning the creations.
The arrival of the Art Nouveau Era showed a fascination for the feminine, with silver jewellery forged into delicate and intricate swirls and curling fancies that gave appreciation to nature and women. The Art Deco Era undoubtedly influenced silver jewellery as well, the shape of the Empire State building with its geometric lines were often translated into the design of jewellery.
In the late part of the 20th century, the jewellery was getting big and bold. By the late part of the 1990s Silver jewellery was still growing in popularity and was most preferred by younger people over gold whose own distinctive styles led to the creation of jewellery pieces that had clean lines, simple but full of impact.
The Design of Silver Jewellery will continue to change in the future, inevitably following trends and fashions and remaining extremely popular for making jewellery. See SILVER CATEGORY for a large selection of stunning silver pieces.
For more silver facts and figures, see our Silver page.
