Archive for February, 2020

Sterling Silver’s Long Lasting Beauty

As you pick that perfect pendant or those gorgeous silver earrings that sparkle as they catch the light, know that you are part of a special tradition. Silver has been the metal of choice for jewelry and tableware for, well, thousands of years. In fact, a recent archaeological dig in Israel uncovered a 3,200-year-old cache of silver that included 5 hoop earrings.

A Brief History in Silver

Silver was first unearthed in Greece and Turkey in 3,000 B.C., and, even then, its discoverers worked to refine it to a purer form through a process called cupellation where they heated the raw metal and blew air over it. Modern popularity began in 1492 when Spanish Conquistadors found rich lodes of silver in South America. Between 1500 and 1800, most silver came from Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru. The first major silver strike in the United States came in 1857 when miners struck the Comstock Lode in Nevada. View Full Article…

History & Care: The Guide to Vintage Silverware

Flatware has become such an everyday feature of our lives that we rarely stop to consider its origins and history. Today, you can go to any department store and find a set of stainless steel silverware, but that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, the cutlery that you see today was predated by vintage silverware. Interested? Here’s a deep dive into the history of vintage silverware. View Full Article…