![]() ![]() The Incas were known to have held the sun as a sacred symbol, and they believed their Emperor, the Sapa Inca, was a direct descendant of the sun god Inti. The ancient Greeks, for example, associated electrum with the sun god Apollo, and some ancient societies used electrum for ritual or religious purposes. In addition to its use in coinage and jewelry, electrum was also believed to have mystical or magical properties in some cultures. The earliest known electrum coins were minted in Lydia (in modern-day Turkey) in the 7th century BCE, and the use of electrum for coins was widespread in the region until the invention of silver and gold coins. The exact composition of electrum can vary, but it typically contains between 60 to 90 percent gold.Įlectrum was highly valued in ancient times, particularly in the Mediterranean region, where it was used to make coins, jewelry, and other decorative objects. ![]() Lydian merchants used stamped lumps of a silver and gold mixture called ‘electrum.’ Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of other metals such as copper and sometimes palladium. Gold was also highly valued by ancient civilizations in South America, such as the Incas and the Aztecs, and in Asia, including in China and India. The ancient Egyptians were also known to have used gold for jewelry and decorations as early as 2600 BCE. The earliest known gold jewelry dates back to around 4000 BCE and was found in what is now Eastern Europe. It is used to make costume jewelry – and it should be plainly marked as a nickel alloy for many people are allergic to nickel.The discovery of gold is not attributed to a single moment or location, as gold has been known to humans for thousands of years. It’s actually any of several alloys made from copper, zinc and nickel to mimic the color and luster of silver. Nickel silver or German silver isn’t silver. Both filled and electroplated items will have stamps denoting the type of silver, e.g. Electroplated items are often described as silver plate. In electroplating, the craftsman uses electricity to permanently bond the silver to a base metal. Filling or rolling involves bonding the silver to the base metal by heating it. The two most frequently used methods are filling and electroplating. Silverplating involves coating a base metal with a layer of silver. People who collect ancient jewelry make a note of the silver/gold ratio in electrum, for it can indicate the item’s history. Silver makes up about 40 to 60 percent of the metal, and its color varies from silvery white to light gold. Coin silver is occasionally used to make fashion jewelry.Įlectrum is a naturally occurring mix of gold and silver that was used to make jewelry and coins in ancient times but is rarely used today. It has the smallest amount of silver in a metal that can legally be marketed as silver in the United States. Sterling silver pieces will often be stamped with a 925.Ĭoin silver is usually 90 percent pure silver and 10 percent copper. It has often been used to make coins as well as jewelry. As sterling silver dates back to the 10th century, it is one of the most ancient alloys still being used. Sterling silver melts at a lower temperature than fine silver does and is thus easier to work with. The alloy strengthens the silver and makes it less likely to tarnish. Most of the time, sterling silver is made with copper, but it can be made with nickel or other metals. ![]() It is 92.5 percent pure silver, and the other 7.5 percent is an alloy. Sterling silver is the most popular type of silver for making jewelry. It also tarnishes when exposed to hydrogen sulfide or ozone. Despite its value and shining beauty, pure silver is notoriously difficult to work with. To qualify as pure silver, the silver must make up at least 99.9 percent of the metal. Pure or fine silver can be used to make jewelry, and it can sometimes be used for silverplating. The numbers refer to there being 999 parts of pure silver per thousand parts. 999 FS (fine silver) being the most valuable. Like gold, silver is graded by how pure it is, with. ![]() It is therefore usually combined with an alloy to strengthen it before being crafted into anything. Pure silver is generally too soft to be used for jewelry, flatware or decorations. While silver is significantly less valuable than gold, it is like gold in that it is a very soft precious metal. ![]()
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