1. Celebrating Silver
2. About Silver
3. Cubic Zirconia Jewelry
4. Millefiori Murano Glass
5. Marcasite Jewelry
6. Plating Silver Jewelry
7. Semi-Precious Stones
8. Alan K. Jewelry

About Silver

Silver
Silver is a precious metal that has been used for thousands of years for various purposes such as ornaments, tableware, jewelry, photography and money. Its value as a precious metal was long considered second only to gold and in Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe, it was often valued more than gold. The principal sources of silver are obtained from Canada, Mexico, Peru, Australia and the United States. However, Mexico is the largest producer of silver.

Characteristics of Silver
Silver is one of the chemical elements in the periodic table and is called Ag, short from the Latin term Argentum. It is a brilliant, white lustrous transition metal that is very ductile, malleable and endures a high degree of polish.

Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, even higher than copper, but its greater cost has prevented it from being widely used in place of copper for electrical purposes. It also has the highest thermal conductivity, highest optical reflectivity and the lowest contact resistance of any metal.

Silver is stable in pure air and water, but does tarnish when it is exposed to ozone, hydrogen sulfide, or air that has sulfur compounds present in the atmosphere. Tarnish and dirt on fine sterling silver jewelry can be removed gently using a jewelry polishing cloth. These jewelry polishing cloths are chemically treated with nontoxic cleaning and polishing agents which are specially formulated to restore the fine silver luster.

Silver Jewelry
The metal silver has been chosen for its beauty and luster in the manufacture of jewelry and silverware. Because it is malleable and easy to work with, silver has been fashioned in to rings, bracelets, earrings and other jewelry pieces. However, silver has a low resistance to pressure and can be easily bent. To make silver tougher and more durable, silver is often alloyed with other metals, which results in different types of silver. Based on the content of the other metals mixed in to the silver, silver is usually identified by hallmarks. A hallmark is generally an indication of metal content, purity and quality that is marked on individual pieces. For example, sterling silver, by definition is a mix of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper alloy. Therefore, pieces using sterling silver are commonly tagged or engraved with 925 Silver or SS.

Shop4Silver.com Purity Guarantee
Shop4Silver.com guarantees that all of our Sterling silver jewelry merchandise is purely 925 Sterling or above.

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic Zirconia, or CZ, is a well-known substitute for diamonds. It is a synthetic gemstone that is created from a cubic form of zirconium oxide. It can come in various colors and is durable and inexpensive. Although cubic zirconia looks identical to diamonds, it isn’t as brilliant as a diamond. However, unlike diamonds that have impurities and inclusions, cubic zirconia is a flawless stone and has more fire, or flashes of color. Cubic zirconia is also more brittle and weighs more than diamonds.

Cubic zirconia should be cleaned frequently to avoid dulling the stone’s brilliance. Contact with skin oils and daily wear and tear can dull the stone. Using a jewelry cleaner or detergent, clean thoroughly, making sure to properly dry your piece to further avoid any dulling of the stone. Due to its durable nature, you may use a brush as needed without damaging the stone.

At Shop4Silver.com, all of our cubic zirconia items are made with Grade A quality stones with a high-shine finish. All of our CZ pieces are always set and never glued on. Depending on the styles, Shop4Silver.com uses both machine-cut and hand-cut CZ stones.

Millefiori Murano Glass

Millefiori is a type of Murano glass that has been incorporated with various layers of colors to create beautiful flower-like patterns. Millefiori, which literally means “a thousand flowers”, is the denomination of a type of cylindrical, long glass rod which contains a specific pattern along its entire length, so that when cut into slices from one end, the particular pattern will be revealed. It is completely handmade of authentic Murano glass. This style of glass has been around since the Middle Ages and more recently, have been produce for fine jewelry.


Behind the Scenes – Making of Millefiori
Millefiori owes it particular beauty to a very complicated and skillful process which was discovered by the glass makers of Murano. It starts out with Murano glass rods. These rods are made from taking a 1.5 meter metal pole with small mass of molten glass on it. (Please see picture 1). It is then dipped into different pots of other molten glass of various colors. (Please see picture 2). The multiple colors used in the glass create beautiful flower-like patterns, granting its name, Millefiori. As this mass increases in size, the molten glass is squeezed into a star or flower-shaped mold, which gives the final form of the pattern. (Please see picture 3.) A last layer of glass is applied to maintain the cylindrical shape of the rod. A second metal pole is then attached to the other side of the glass mass. (Please see picture 4). Two glass makers, one at each pole, pull the glass into a long, find rod by walking in opposite directions. (Please see picture 5).

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After the cooling process, these glass rods can be sliced to reveal the pattern. The glass rods are sliced into desired thickness and size, resulting in the production of murrines. A murrine is each slice or piece of the rod. These individual pieces are then laid into a mold and melted. The most outer layer (the one used to maintain the cylindrical form) of each murrine will melt into each other. Once cooled, it can be removed from the mold and be incorporated into making various Millefiori jewelry items.

Although, the Venetian Murrina originates from ancient Roman, Alexandrian and Phoenician glassware, it wasn’t until 1968, when the production of murrine pendants began. All it took was a simple invention of a copper band in various forms (circles, drops, hearts, crosses, etc.) to create beautiful pieces. The slices of the Millefiori rods called murrines were placed into the copper mold and inserted into a kiln. There the murrines fuse together forming a compact shape. It is cooled and then polished to form a thin layer which is slightly convex. A final polish heightens its shine and is ready for use.

Marcasite Jewelry

Marcasite is a natural mineral used in jewelry. It is a light and brittle mineral that is often mistaken for pyrite. Pyrite and marcasite have the same chemical formula, but different crystal system, thereby making them two separate minerals. In jewelry, pyrite is used as a gem while marcasite is not. It is a mined stone and when used in jewelry, marcasite is cut and shaped very much like diamonds.

Shop4Silver.com carries a whole line of marcasite jewelry made strictly out of Grade A marcasite from Thailand.

Plating Silver Jewelry

Nickel
Many times nickel, another hard metal known also as Ni, is placed between the coating and the silver because it facilitates the adherence and luster of the plating to the metal. When used in silver jewelry, this can cause irritation to those who are sensitive to nickel or have nickel allergies. For that reason, there is nickel-free jewelry available. Although, Shop4Silver.com still carries some jewelry with nickel plating, 95% of our sterling silver jewelry is nickel-free and all of our nickel-free jewelry is clearly marked on the site.

* If you are an international customer, please note that use of nickel and nickel based alloys in jewelry may be illegal in your country. For example, European countries have officially banned nickel and nickel based alloys in jewelry due to the high number of nickel allergies.

Rhodium
Rhodium is a hard, durable, silvery-white metallic element that is used to form high-temperature alloys with platinum and is then plated on other metals to produce a durable corrosion-resistant coating. Rhodium, also known as Rh, is a member of the platinum group and found in platinum ores. It has a higher melting point and lower density than platinum. Rhodium is a very expensive metal, even more so than gold. Due to the scarcity of the metal, it commands a high market price.

Sterling silver jewelry that is plated with rhodium is resistant to scratching, abrasion and corrosion. As mentioned above, sterling silver has a tendency to tarnish rather quickly when exposed to harsh contaminants, such as sulfur and many others that are found all around us. Contact with skin oils and perfumes may also discolor silver, which requires frequent cleaning and polishing. Since rhodium plating is highly acid and chemical resistant, it will withstand such contact. Consequently, sterling silver is an ideal candidate for rhodium plating. In addition, rhodium is also frequently used to give silver jewelry a beautiful finish.

Semi-Precious Stones

Semi-precious stones are genuine stones, like amethyst and garnet, used in fine and fashion jewelry. Although they are as beautiful and have lots of commercial value, semi-precious stones aren’t typically as rare or expensive as a precious stone, like diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds.

In more recent times, however, these stones have become more available and less expensive with the help of modern technology. Using various methods, genuine semi-precious stones are processed to enhance colors, maintain cut and size constancy. Although these stones are processed, they are still genuine semi-precious stones

Amethyst
Amethyst is a transparent purple quartz gemstone and is one of the most important quartz variety used in jewelry. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February. Although its colors range from pale lilac to purple and deep violets, it is closely related to the citrine stone, which is the yellow form of quartz. Varieties of both amethyst and citrine can occur in the same stone, creating beautiful stones called ametrines. Mined all over the world in places like Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Australia and parts of Africa, amethyst can vary in colors from different areas. The darker stones tend to be more popular and expensive.

Amethyst has a deep history and has been known to be a spiritual healing and cleansing stone. The word amethyst comes from the Greek work “amethustos” which means sober or not drunk. It has been said that amethyst was to protect against intoxication and poisonings and has been the symbol for sobriety. It has also been known to be used in crowns, rings and other jewelry for royalty. Amethyst is the stone of choice for the rings of Bishops and has been used in Catholicism, as well as other churches, throughout history.

Citrine
Citrine, also called citrine quartz or citrine topaz, is an amber-colored gemstone. It is a golden yellow form of quartz and its name comes from the French word, “citron” which means lemon. It includes various shades of yellow, yellow-brown, gold, orange, orange-brown and reddish-brown and is an alternative birthstone for the month of November.

Besides its inherent beauty, citrine is very affordable, generally more inexpensive than other gemstones and is available in various shapes and sizes.

Garnet
Garnet is probably best known as the deep red gemstone. However, this semi-precious stone’s colors can range from red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, black and can even be colorless. It is a very sturdy stone, making it an excellent stone to wear and work with in jewelry. Today these stones are mined all over the world, including North, Central and South Americas, Russia, India and many African countries.

Garnets have a high refraction of light which gives it pretty brilliance. Reportedly, garnets were used by Noah as a guide and to light the Ark. The word garnet comes from the Latin word “granum” which means grain. It was a reference to its shape and how garnet resembles pomegranate seeds.

In addition to the various colors, there are multiple names for other garnet types like andradite, demantoid, grossularite, hessonite, pyrope, rhodolith, tsavorith, spessartine, uwarowite and many others. Although the colors may vary, all these types share a similar chemical structure and belong to the garnet family. Garnet is also the birthstone for the month of January.

Topaz
Commonly known for its golden hue, topaz is one of the better recognized semi-precious stones. It comes in an assortment of colors: yellow, pink, red, orange, blue, green, purple, brown and colorless. The classic topaz colors are yellow to orange-brown and are often referred as Sherry, Madeira and Imperial topaz in the trade.

Like many other stones, topaz is believed to have spiritual healing powers and has been used throughout history. The word topaz is derived from the Greek word “topazos” which was an old name for a Greek island known to produce peridot, another stone commonly mistaken for topaz. In fact, in earlier times, all yellow stones were considered to be topaz. Due to its color, topaz is still confused regularly for other stones, like citrine and smoky quartz.

Topaz also possesses a similar characteristic to diamonds. While topaz is a hard gemstone, they can break easily with a single blow, very much like diamonds. However, once the stone is set, breakage is unlikely.

The most sought after topaz stones are red and pink topaz stones. They are rich in color and more expensive in price. In recent years, the popularity of blue topaz has grown due to affordable prices and attractiveness. Although, blue topaz is available naturally, many have been produced using irradiation to simulate the color desired, making it easily accessible in a variety of shades, sizes and shapes.

The largest supplier of topaz today is Brazil; nevertheless topaz is mined all over the world, from Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Burma, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia and the United States.

Alan K. Designs

Alan K., is the mastermind behind the Designo, Millacreli and Stingray lines. Alan K.’s career has taken him all around the world making him a skilled expert on the art of jewelry making. Starting at an early age in the Middle East, he learned the ins and outs of the jewelry business. He continued on to study at jewelry art schools in France and went on to Cyprus and Monaco to create jewelry designs for various companies. It wasn't until 1985, though, that Alan K. finally settled in Los Angeles. Later, during a visit to Venice, Italy, he was introduced to Murano glass making. Alan K. was amazed and inspired by this beautiful glass and began to incorporate his ideas with it. During his time there, he had the opportunity to work with one of the oldest and best factories that had been around since the 1890s. He then started creating his own pieces using the Murano glass and sterling silver in 1997.