Stephen Alans Jewellers - the Jewellery Blog

It’s often thought of as golds poorer cousin. But silver, with its brilliant lustre, extra high thermal and electrical conductivity and its many, many uses in things like jewellery, photography, and even medicine, make silver rather special.

So, seeing as silver is such a beautiful and versatile element, especially in jewellery making and design, we thought we’d put together a list 15 fascinating silver facts for anyone interested in finding out a bit more.

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1. The name ‘silver’ comes from the Anglo Saxon word ‘seolfor’, which if you say out loud in a vague non-descript accent, sounds just like ‘silver’.

2. Ag, the chemical symbol for silver has a route back to the Latin word for silver, ‘argentum’, a word derived from the Sanskrit word for shining, ‘argunas’.

3. Also – the country Argentina, was so named due to the silver they gave to the Spanish conquistadors, and the Spanish word for silver, ‘argentino’, derived from ‘argentum’.

4. The King James Bible mentions silver a staggering 320 times! And the ancient story goes that Judas was actually bribed with 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus.

5. As far back as 1200 BC the Phoenicians kept wine and vinegar in bottles made of silver, due to the fact they’d worked out that silver has amazing antibacterial properties.

6. And staying with silvers antibacterial properties – the legend that Werewolves can be killed with a silver bullet arose from knowledge of silvers healing/antibacterial properties.

7. And still with the antibacterial thing – silver is routinely used in hospitals for medical applications, including bandages, wound dressings, and to coat medical devices.

8. Silver is such a good conductor of electricity that it actually defines the standard in which all other less conductive metals are measured against.

9. The spot price of silver fluctuates every 2 minutes. And in the 1970s it was valued at as low as 53p per ounce, compared to 2023 where it stands around £19.49 and rising.

10. As the most reflective metal around, when polished, silver will reflect 95% of visible light, making it ideal for the manufacture of mirrors, cameras and telescopes.

11. Silver is the traditional gift for a 25th wedding anniversary due to the fact that it’s a precious metal that lasts, and represents the assumed strength of the marriage.

12. If you have little black spots on your mirror, it’s because the silver it contains to make it reflective, reacts to sulphur compounds in the air that cause it to tarnish.

13. And speaking of silver tarnishing, try not to use silverware for egg based dishes such as mayonnaise, as the sulphur the egg contains will also cause tarnishing.

14. About two thirds of the silver produced around the world is a byproduct or lead, copper and zinc mining, and most of that silver comes from Mexico and Peru.

15. Silver is extremely ductile, meaning just one ounce can be stretched to a distance of around 8000ft, a record only beaten by an ounce of gold, which will stretch 50 miles.

Sources: BullionByPost and ThoughtCo

And you're looking for silver...

Come down to Stephen Alan's Jewellers in Leighton Buzzard. We have all the silver new and preowned jewellery and giftware you could wish for. Find out more at www.sajewllers.co.uk or get in touch on 01525 373177