Silver metal beads with Jewelry

Silver metal beads

by Binasaji

Silver has been used to create jewelry since time immemorial. The Navajos combined silver with turquoise to make gorgeous jewelry pieces like the Squash Blossom necklaces and silver bracelets with inlay work. These are popular even today. Silver is cheaper than gold but is equally attractive; with men and women, both wearing silver jewelry.

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Available in a range of finishes – dull, bright, oxidized and a tantalizing choice of designs, silver beaded jewelry is versatile and economical – purchasing several pieces is affordable and the ornaments can be funky, traditional or formal. Silver chunky beaded jewelry often teamed with darker colored gemstones like navy blue, dark green or deep reds are now sported by men – not just as rings but also chains, bracelets and amulets. Dull or tarnished silver beads complement the tough exteriors of stylish men and make great gifts – different from the traditional clothes and perfumes. Oxidized silver jewelry can be bought off the streets at dirt-cheap prices (although the purity of the metal is questionable).

Other than silver, gold is the other precious metal popularly used to make beaded jewelry. Platinum being highly priced is also used but is available at select premium outlets which cater to an exclusive clientele.

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Silver Facts

Silver shining beads have an allure that makes jewellery sparkle and liven up the dullest outfits. Pure silver is extremely malleable and lends itself to making very thin sheets and wires. Silver can be made into sheets so thin that they are almost transparent and allow light to pass through. In fact, over one hundred thousand such sheets placed over each other will equal only one inch! Thin wires finer than a human hair can be drawn out of pure silver easily. Although good quality silver stays bright for a long time eventually, it starts to blacken as the pollutants in the atmosphere react with it.

For jewellery making purposes, silver is mixed with other metals especially copper to form an alloy which gives it strength, the addition also makes it possible to craft the silver into desired shapes and sizes.

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Types of Silver beads

While all silver used for crafting jewellery is not 100% pure, it helps to know the common terms referred to while buying silver beaded jewellery. Silver is marked as per its purity – pure silver jewellery will refer to a minimum mix of copper ranging from 1% to 3% in pure silver.

Sterling silver beads have at least 7.5% of copper mixed and are approximately 92.5% pure. Sterling silver is stronger than pure silver and it is easier to carve and mold sterling silver beads. These beads usually have a dull finish and the niches are tarnished giving them a vintage appearance. In some countries, sterling silver is not called sterling but is marked .925 indicating the purity of the silver is 92.5%.

Nickel silver or German silver is so called only because it resembles silver beads. These beads have no silver in them and are actually an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc.

Handmade silver beads can make heads turn with their beautiful designs and carvings. Some of the most popular handmade silver beads come from the island nations of Bali and Thailand . The former is known as Bali Silver and the latter as Hill Tribe Silver. These gifted silver artisans create tiny works of art with their hands and usually it is impossible to find two pieces which are alike. These beads have very distinct designs – mostly depicting images from nature (animals, trees, birds, flowers etc.) and are usually tarnished or oxidized. Most of these beads are sterling silver in order to achieve the traditional effect.

Manual techniques and very few implements are employed by the artisans in these island nations to create interesting designs which have found acclaim throughout the world. Silver is melted and then either made into sheets and wires or poured into moulds. The wires or sheets are cut to create various shapes and sizes of beads. Some beads are made by poking holes in the sheets and fusing wires onto it creating gorgeous filigreed beads. Designs are sometimes engraved onto the beads giving it the distinct appearance of Bali Silver and Hill Tribe silver. The last part of the process is oxidization, where the beads are dipped into various liquids to highlight the images on the bead.

Buying & Caring tips

Hollow silver beads are lighter than the solid ones and care should be taken while using beaded jewellery with hollow silver beads as they can dent easily. Solid silver beads should be bought from reliable stores since they could easily be pewter beads with just a silver plate on top. Compare prices – solid silver beads will be more expensive than silver plated beads and will weigh lesser than them since pewter is heavier than silver. .

Always check the purity of the silver before buying beads – the price of sterling silver beads will be cheaper than pure silver although the amount of effort and time spent in carving or finishing the bead will also determine the price. Handcrafted beads will usually cost more.

Many manufacturers now machine make beads and call them Bali Silver and Hill Tribe Silver since the designs are the same as the authentic Bali and Hill Tribe silver beads. Make sure you check the authenticity of the origination on the beads before purchasing handcrafted beaded jewellery.

Buy your silver jewellery after deciding the purpose, if you require it for daily wear, buy beads which have the least amount of metals added – the silver should be at least 98% to 99% pure. Higher purity will ensure no tarnish for a longer time although the design of the beads should be such that it can tolerate the stress of daily usage.

Over a period of time, silver tarnishes. Pure silver tarnishes slowly and silver mixed with other metals has a quicker rate of blackening. This is also a test to check the purity of your silver beads.

Many silver beaded jewellery carry a tarnished appearance to give the piece depth and an antique look. One needs to be very careful while cleaning (if required) such silver beaded ornaments. The tarnish can be removed with anti-tarnish polishes, or even lemon juice or toothpaste with a soft cloth.

Cleaning silver beaded jewellery embellished with crystals or enameled beads or any other beads treated with coatings need special care. Remember the anti-tarnish polish or lemon juice will react with the coatings and normally expose the bead under the coating ruining the complete piece.

Store your silver beads away from pollutants in a soft cloth bag or airtight plastic covers. Remember to wipe the silver after use and avoid spraying harmful chemicals on it. Unless, you like the tarnished look, don’t wear your silver beads while swimming or in the shower.

Delicate filigreed beads, carved by the tribal artisans, wound around semi-precious stones, chunky large stand alone beads as pendants – silver beads are always in vogue.


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Roman Empire Sparkle Jewelry

 

The Sparkle of Jewelry in the Roma

The Sparkle of Jewelry in the Roman Empire

by Shalini Kagal

Jewelry designs and trends during Roman empire period – The strange thing is that the Romans were when the empire first began, rather austere in their tastes – their food, their clothes, their ornaments. What they wore was more functional rather than flaunting. Then came the army’s success as they began to spread out and conquer. Soon, Spartan gave way to Style. This could have been due to two reasons. One, the fact that they saw a new world out there where many dressed in a more resplendent manner and flaunted jewelry. Two, the fact that very often they carried back the spoils of war of which gold and precious stones formed a part. By the first century B.C., there was a variety of jewelry available with a wide choice of designs.

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The first foray was probably into
gold as this was the metal that they
brought back most often from their
conquests. Then, the trend grew to
embrace both Greek and Eastern
influences. So we see beads made of
glass, colored stones and the use of
silver as well as the rare bronze.
After all, according to Homer,
wasn’t this the metal used to
fashion Achilles’ shield? We also
see the use of pearls and bone.

It all started with piercing – but
piercing with a purpose. The men
pierced themselves as a show of
strength. If they pierced their
nipples, it symbolized both their
loyalty to their empire as well as
being a symbol of power. In fact the
gladiators would pierce various
parts of their body believing that
this was supposed to protect them
from injuries.

As interest in jewelry grew, the
early designs show a marked leaning
towards the Greek styles. However,
with time, a more distinctive Roman
style seems to emerge. The Romans
had a partiality for stones like
emeralds, sapphires, rubies and
topaz. They also had a choice of
pendants which were encased in gold
and were cameos. Some of them were
made to be large enough to hold a
bit of perfume. These were in full
display with the ladies who came to
watch the chariot races as they
began to get more popular in Rome.
The horses too, especially the ones
that took part in the races, were
decked out in pearls and stones
woven into their tails and their
manes. The young boys usually wore a
neck chain or a ‘bulla’ which had a
small pouch that contained
protective amulets.
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The Romans were very conscious of
their status in society. So clothes
became important items of
demarcation between the various
classes – between those born free
and the slaves, as well as the many
classes in polite society. Jewelry
therefore became a very important
status symbol together with clothing
to make this distinction.

 

Roman Jewelry

 

 

 

 

One
could see a lot of gold
hemispherical shapes which were made
into earrings, necklaces or
bracelets. The men usually were a
little more subtle and their jewelry
was constrained to one finger ring.
At first these rings were made of
iron, then of gold. Then precious
stones were used for rings as were
semiprecious stones like chalcedony
and carnelian. The trend grew
however and there were some Roman
men who wore a ring on every finger.
Roman women were said to wear
friendship rings as well. Both men
and women wore carved rings – the
stone was often carved so it would
facilitate sealing documents. The
ring was pressed into hot wax and
the document sealed. This practice
continued well into the later times
when kings used this method to seal
anything.

The trend of relief where silver
ornaments and vessels was concerned
was practiced in the fourth century
B.C. This type of ornamentation was
done a lot in the Greek era and it
permeated all silverwork right
through the Roman civilization.
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The most popular item of jewelry by
far however, was the brooch. This
was what held most Roman clothing
together. It really was an
ornamental safety pin but the Romans
raised it to a work of art. In fact,
you can find variations of it in far
flung parts of the Roman Empire.
What was unique at that point of
time was the clasp or the ‘fibula’.
Though the brooches served a very
functional purpose – that of holding
clothing together – they were
beautifully made. There were laurel
leaves, branches of palms, winged
eagles and goddesses.
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From what has been unearthed and is
now in the museums, one realizes
that over two centuries ago, this
empire had jewelry that used
diamonds from India and sapphires
from Sri Lanka. In the England of
the Roman era, ‘jet’ or fossilized
wood was used to make jewelry. The
ancient Romans used a lot of amber
in their jewelry as well. Amber is
the resin from fossilized trees and
it was referred to as the ‘gold of
the north’. One sees that a lot of
ornaments fashioned out of amber
were made during the second century
B.C. Many of the ancient
civilizations made jewelry out of
amber and they were much-prized
possessions. Remains of amber
workshops have been found in parts
of Europe.

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The women wore beautifully designed
jewelry in their ears, fingers,
around their necks, on their clothes
and even in their hair! As well
designed as their brooches and
clothes pins were, equally so were
their jeweled hair pins. Of course,
some of the jewelry was worn by the
superstitious – and there were many
of them – to ward off what they
called the ‘evil eye’.
df66a18b2022b45408064696f1f534adMany of the Roman designs and ideas
were spread through their conquests
of places near and far and many just
spread and got mixed with the
neighboring cultures after the
decline of the Roman Empire. Soon,
one saw a change from a more
barbaric and resplendent taste in
jewelry in the conquered regions to
a more understated, elegant one.
So even though the ‘grandeur that
was Rome’, sung about by poets and
philosophers waned, their
contribution to the world of jewelry
design did not. It grew, changed and
flourished all over the world

 


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Ruby in History

Ruby in History

by Yuman Hussain

Ruby in history talks about the special place of ruby as a gemstone in historical perspective. It was a highly prized stone almost equally the diamond in value and beauty right from the beginning of the human civilization. Its virtues are mentioned in Bible and many ancient and medieval Indian and western texts and treatises.

Ruby known as the king of gems is considered to be a prized possession
throughout the history of mankind. They are treasured by royalty and
religious heads and held in awe by commoners over considerable period of
time. There are several traditions and legends associated with ruby in
history. Bible’s mentions that the price of wisdom is above rubies signify
the importance of rubies since antiquity. No wonder the appreciation for
this beautiful stone has united people across the nations, continents and
empires.

Ruby

Ruby is mentioned as one of the twelve precious stones created by God
when he created mankind. It is mentioned in “Lapidaire en Vers” of Philippe
de Valois that Ruby, the lord of gems was given to Aaron on the command of
Jesus Christ. It adorned the Aaron’s breastplate and was symbol of Judah.
Christian leaders also loved rubies right from the medieval period. During
this period rubies were considered even more valuable than diamonds. In 16th
century these were priced 8 times higher than other stones. Great Poets and
authors from Chaucer to Shakespeare have written extensively in the praise
of the ruby’s beauty and brilliance.

Ancient Indian legends said that God first created ruby and later created
man to possess it. India was seen as country of gemstones due to abundance
of precious stones among the royalty. The word corundum is taken from the
Sanskrit word ‘Kuruvinda’. Ruby was given the name of ‘Ratnaraj’ literally
meaning ‘King of Gemstones’ and ‘Ratnanayaka’ meaning ‘Leader of precious
stones’. Another name describing the beauty of the stone was ‘Padmaraga’
meaning ‘Red as the Lotus’. Ruby as a gemstone was divided into different
categories just like caste system by the ancient Indians. The oriental Ruby
was a Brahman followed by Rubicelle as a Kshatriya; the Spinel was
considered a Vaisya and Balas ruby as Sudra. The one who possessed the
Pasmaraga or the Brahman Ruby considered to be safe from the evil eyes and
enemies. His fortune said to be that of a king. It was also held that good
quality stone should be preserved carefully to enhance their quality.

Ruby as a gemstone has captured the imagination of many civilizations and
there are many myths surround this stunning stone. The kings and the
emperors used ruby to decorate their insignia. The royalty favored rubies as
they believed that it would ward off danger .The red color would darken and
once the danger is past it would return to its original color. People also
believed that ruby would act only in possession of right suitors. It was
also held that the stone has power of fire which could even made the water
boil. It was said to remove evil thoughts and influence the decisions and
mental and physical health of the wearer. The dark colored and star rubies
were considered as male stones and those lighter in shade were suppose to be
female stones. Ruby had come to be associated with valor and courage. One
legend says that ruby used to be implanted under the skins of warriors to
help them face enemies bravely. Many ancient tribes used gems as a war
weapons for its hardness.

Ruby has been derived from Latin word ‘ruber’ meaning red. It is
associated with Tuesday, summer season and St Mathew. Ancient tradition says
that ruby glows with inner fire so it was also known as glowing stone
.According to ancient Chinese texts ruby was used for lighting the royal
chambers. Hindu priests held that gemstones like rubies and emeralds lighted
the homes of the deities. Greeks legends speak about huge rubies which were
given to Heraclea by the female stork to lighten her room as a token of her
kindness.

The history of ruby mining can
be traced as early as 2500 BC. Burma’s ruby mining areas have reported
presence of pre-historic tools showing the fascination of people with
gemstones. Sir John Mandeville in his fourteenth century treatise mentioned
several virtues of the Ruby. According to him those who possess the
brilliant specimen are assured of peace and harmony. They would be protected
from their enemies and the stone would guide their houses and property. The
treatise advised the wearer to set the ruby in a ring or a bracelet and for
best results it should be worn on the left side of the body. Jean Tavernier
a famous 17th century traveler had also written extensively on rubies in his
well known travelogue ‘Travels.’ The ruby as a color of heart has also
inspired passion and romance for centuries. It was also considered to have
magical properties invoking good fortune for the wearer. Romans considered
rubies as carbunculus. Ruby elixirs are mentioned in apothecary and medical
texts having medicinal and curative powers.

Throughout history gems like
spinel and
garnet had been confused with ruby.
Till 1800 red colored gemstones were called rubies. Many so called large
precious rubies in the crowns of French and English monarchs had been turn
out to be spinel instead. The most prominent being the “Black Prince’s ruby”
which adorns the English royal crown is a spinel. The other famous stone is
Timur Ruby which is 352 carat red spinel is now with British monarchy.
However there are some beautiful rubies in the history like Rosser Reeves
Star Ruby (137 carat) at Smithsonian Institute, Edith Haggin De Long star
ruby (100 carat) displayed at American Museum of Natural History and Edward
Ruby (167 carat) in British Museum of Natural History.
Man’s fascination for beauty has led to the love for precious gemstones.
Ruby has and will always have a special place in the history of civilization
due to its brilliant color, cut and fine features.


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