The history of silver

The history of silver is as old as the history of man. It speaks in the Bible of "Joseph, who was rich in silver, gold, and oxen". In the pre-Christian era, in certain civilizations, silver was considered more precious than gold. To the early Egyptians, silver had a religious significance and was used profusely in articles of worship.

Silver can be hammered into sheets so thin that it would take 100,000 of them to stack an inch high.

It can be drawn into a wire finer than a human hair.

It is this ductility (or ability to be formed) that makes silver the wonderful art form that it is.

Silver can be shaped by hammering, spinning, or drawing - it can be decorated with etching, chasing, or engraving - sterling silver is the queen of metals. There is no substitute.

Through the centuries, the silversmith or goldsmith has, by a process of elimination, become the most highly skilled craftsman in the world today.

In every generation the "Master Smith" would select from his apprentices those best qualified for training necessary to make a jeweler or silversmith. The less skilled craftsmen stayed in the "minor leagues" and became blacksmiths or bronze workers.

As only the finest craftsman in each generation became master gold and silversmiths, this evolution through the centuries, created a tradition of excellence in both artistry and craftsmanship which is found only in the silver field.

Silver, as we know it today, dates from the 16th and 17th Century. Prior to that time silver was available only to the extremely wealthy nobility - or to the church.

During the 17th Century there arose a new wealthy merchant class.

The fortunes of these traders was founded on the sailing ship. As a sea captain returned from a voyage, with the tremendous profits made, he could purchase a second vessel. By repeating this procedure, the sea captain became a merchant prince with a fleet of vessels at his command.

These men built great estates and furnished them with all available luxuries. We find a tremendous amount of nautical derivation in the decorations, carvings, and silver of these homes.

The "Gadroon" motif so prevalent in Georgian silver is obviously derived from a rope which was a decorative treatment used on the crude wooden tables and chairs which a sea captain might have. When the time came that his wealth permitted him to have furniture made especially for himself, he oftentimes had the rope or "Gadroon" border carved into the furniture. Later, when silver was made to adorn his tables, the same rope motif was used.

The "Shell" motif found in George III items and later, is also derived from the sea, to way nothing of the "Dolphin" which was used profusely for spouts, handles, finials, and feet on various decorative pieces.

Prior to the 18th Century, silver was found primarily in the homes of the nobles or in the possession of churches in the form of chalices, crosses and altar appointments. At that time, most silversmiths were subsidized by either one of the royal households or by some local Bishop. The new wealthy middle-class permitted a number of silversmiths to support themselves as independent craftsman. In the early 1700's, the social revolution and the economic development on which it was based, made the silver craftsman an important man in his town.

In the baronial castle there was a "great standing salt" or "the ceremonial salt".

This "ceremonial salt" was placed on the great "T-shaped table" in the banquet hall in such a way that the nobility sat at the head of the table with the Lord and Master, while the first cousins, second cousins, third cousins, etc., dwindling away down the table to a point of demarcation which set apart the landed gentry from the common serfs. The "salt" was passed from here up the table, and if you sat below the salt you were not only "not worth your salt" but you didn’t get any.

The expression "upper crust" comes from this same era in which the great crusted meat pies were served from the top of the table on down, and obviously the "gentry" got first choice of the crisp, flaky upper crust, and those at the foot of the table were more apt to get the soggy under crust.

Salts and peppers still have social significance and have become one of the more popular wedding presents, as in presenting a pair of sterling salts and peppers you are saying "the finest people have silver salts and peppers on their tables - you are worthy of your salt".

Jack Shepherd was not a famous early English silversmith as is sometimes supposed, but rather was a bandit and highwayman who was hanged when he was 21 years old.

Jack Shepherd was apprentice to a cabinet maker, and until he was 17 years old, he was a model youth. At that time, he either took to drink or was disappointed in love. In any event, from that time on he became one of the most notorious highwaymen in England. His greatest fame, however, was that he was a notorious escape artist. While captured on several occasions, he always made good his escape and was known as "the runaway" Jack Shepherd.

At this very time, (about 1701) footed silver came into vogue - both in gravy boats, salts and peppers, bowls, coffee pots, etc. Folks jokingly said that they had legs so they could run away like Jack Shepherd. This name has stuck to this very day.

Another illustration of interesting history behind modern design is in the long-handled pitcher spoons which we sell today for stirring lemonade in a pitcher. These "pitcher spoons" go back to early Elizabethan days when the long-handled spoons were necessary to reach the mouth as the hand had to be extended out around the great starched ruffles worn around the neck. A long-handled spoon was necessary in order to get food to the mouth without damaging your ruffles.

It is interesting to note how tradition has influenced design in the tea service.

The coffee pot is taller than the teapot. The reason behind this is that the coffee pot was derived from the early English tankard. The old pewter or silver tankard, which was found in most middle-class and better homes, was often of several quart capacity and was not necessarily reserved for a single person’s use. In most modest homes a single tankard served all the men at the table.

When coffee was first introduced into England by the traders returning from Central and South America, there was no vessel in the home from which it could normally be served. It was therefore served from a tankard, but it is easy to understand how this made for difficulty pouring.

The first converted tankards had a round pipe inserted into a hole low in the tankard body which was bent up in an "S" shape on what we would consider the near side for a right handed person.

This was fine for a right handed person, but if you were left handed, it’s easy to understand how you had to pour backwards. For this reason, the spout was moved around opposite the handle, and this became the first coffee pot.

Unlike the coffee pot, the average teapot was based on "ball shaped" teapots which were brought back from India and China by the early traders such as Marco Polo and those who followed him.

Many a crusader brought back tea after his years in the East and, of course, a china pot in which to brew it.

The first silver teapots were fashioned after these low round china pots.

With the two entirely different sources of origin, the coffee pot deriving from the tankard and the teapot from the round china pot, we can see how, over a period of years, the tankard has come down in proportion and the teapot has evolved upwards, until today on some of the more commercial services it is sometimes only a matter of a halt an inch in height which differentiates between the two.

Prior to 1847, only the wealthy were able to afford table silver. The story goes that Sheffield was discovered by a silversmith named Bulsover who worked in Sheffield in the middle 1700's. In mending a buckle he had occasion to place a piece of copper behind a piece of sterling silver in order to reinforce a break, and when it was red hot he had occasion to tighten the vise which fused the two red hot metals together.

This fused plate, which we can liken to a sandwich of one slice of white and sone slice of rye bread, obviously only used approximately one-half the amount of silver that a piece would made of silver through and through. At first silver was fused to only one side; later it was fused to both sides of the copper.

This Sheffield plate opened a whole new market for silver with people who had the desire but not the pocketbooks for fine sterling. This ware was made for about 100 years until replaced by electro-plate. Little true Sheffield exists outside museums.

The date 1847 stands as a landmark in the silver industry. The Rogers Bros., (William, Asa and Simeon) whose names are synonymous with fine silverplate, not only had spent several years in experimenting and in preparing for the making of silverplate but for many years, previous to any knowledge of electro-plating, they had acquired a vast amount of experience in the making of coin silver such as spoons and forks . . . an experience that was to have a tremendous influence in assuring success for this new industry.

Articles of sterling silver are solid silver through and through. Sterling is 925 parts out of a thousand pure. We have a federal law which requires that all silver stamped "sterling" must be 925 parts of pure silver in every thousand parts of metal. The additional 75 parts out of a thousand are to add stiffness and durability as pure silver is quite soft.

The word "sterling" has been used to mean high-quality silver since the 1200's. At that time, the coins of England had decreased in value and contained only a little silver.

The only European coins that contained large proportions of silver, were those made by the merchants of the Hanseatic League, a group of trading cities in Northern Germany.

These coins were called "Easterlings" to distinguish them from the low-silver alloy coins of England.

English speech contracted "Easterling" to "Sterling".

There is one other type of silver with which many of you will be familiar . . . coin silver.

Fine old coin silver spoons were actually hammered from individual coins prior to that time in colonial days when silver was mined in the American colonies. In the early days, you actually took a bag of coins to the silversmith and rather than melt and roll out fresh metal he merely started hammering from the coins. Many of these spoons were made from two separate coins, one for the bowl and the other from the handle, and it is possible to see on the back that two pieces were actually joined together.

While this joining was originally merely functional, in time it was elaborated to what we now know in antique silver as the "rat tail" design, which is a graceful tapering of the handle on the back of the spoon.

Sterling tableware is divided into two categories called flatware and hollowware.

Flatware is the "knife, fork, and spoon" category of silver as hollowware means the bowls, dishes, candlesticks, etc.

Sterling is the most hygienic metal known to man. It has actual germ killing properties. It is also the most durable art form and the most economical purchase that can be made for the home. Sterling silver grows more beautiful with the passing years, never wears out, and can be passed along as part of a heritage that grows stronger with passing generations.

The Do's and Don'ts of Wedding Rings

You can mix metals as long as you do so in both the engagement and wedding rings. For example don’t have a platinum engagement ring with an 18ct yellow gold wedding ring or the platinum will wear away the gold where the rings touch. Don’t set the diamond of your engagement ring too high unless you plan to be a lady of leisure… You will find it will catch on things like tights and later on (if you have children), your baby’s skin. A very big DO: Enjoy the whole experience of buying your rings. It is one of the best parts of wedding planning and buying, and you should have a great time doing it. Stick with someone that you trust and who you think has the experience to advise you correctly, but most importantly go with your gut instinct – you’ll know when you’ve found the right ring. Why not make a day of it, taking in a long leisurely lunch while you’re at it.

Platinum Facts

Platinum wasn't officially 'discovered' as an element until the mid-18th century, but it was in use as a metal by the pre-Columbian Indians. Because of its silvery-white color, malleability, and resistance to corrosion in air, platinum is a popular metal for jewelry. However, it has many other uses. For instance, platinum is an important substrate for many chemical reactions because of its ability to absorb hydrogen at normal temperatures and release it at red heat.

Some info on engagements

In the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, an engagement ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand; the custom in Continental Europe and other countries is to wear it on the right hand. This tradition is thought to be from the Romans, who believed this finger to be the beginning of the vena amoris ("vein of love"), the vein that leads to the heart.^{[citation needed]} Romantic rings from the time of the Roman Empire and from as far back as 4 AD often resemble the Celtic Claddagh symbol (two hands clasping a heart) and so it is thought that this was used as some symbol of love and commitment between a man and a woman. Some others suggest that the rings could be symbolically linked to slave shackles, and thus symbolize the future bondage of husband and wife. However, this is all speculation.

History of gold

Gold mining is vital to the fragile economies of many impoverished countries, which account for roughly two-thirds of global gold production. In addition to generating export revenue in these countries, gold production provides royalty and tax income to their governments, technology transfer, worker training and the creation of a skilled workforce. Gold mining can also bring substantial improvements in physical, social, legal and financial infrastructure. In many of these countries, gold mining is a foundation industry that often provides the critical mass for the development of electricity, water, road and rail transport in a region, that are the essential foundations of an economy.
Developing countries accounted for 72% of global output in 2004. Most of this came from low-income or lower-middle-income countries that together accounted for two thirds of global output.
The strongest rise in output has been seen in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs), whose gold production rose by 84% between 1994 and 2004. Of the 38 HIPC countries, 14 are significant gold producers with lesser or minor production in at least another 14 countries. There is potential for substantial additional production in several other countries.
The rise in HIPCs' output has been paralleled by rising export dependence on gold. In 2003, gold accounted for 13% of goods (merchandise) exports of the 14 significant producers and 10% of their exports of goods and services. For HIPCs as a group, gold accounted for nearly 8% of goods exports and over 6% of exports of goods and services. It is one of the most important exports for HIPCs.
Gold is the leading export for Mali (59% of goods exports in 2003), Tanzania (44%), Ghana (32%), Guyana (26%) and the second most important for Guinea (23%). A $10 fall in the gold price would cause a loss of around $75m in HIPCs' export income.
For the 27 HIPC countries that have reached decision or completion point (those that receive at least some debt relief under the HIPC initiative), gold exports in 2003 amounted to 87% of debt service payments.
Gold is equally important to other low-income countries that are not HIPCs. Among those considered by the World Bank to be severely or moderately indebted, gold is the leading export for Kyrgyzstan (around 45% of total goods exports in 2003) and Papua New Guinea (36%), the second most important export for Mongolia (20%) and Zimbabwe (11%) and one of the two leading exports for Uzbekistan. Among lower-middle-income countries, gold is the leading export for both South Africa (13% of goods exports in 2003) and Peru (17%).
Gold mining companies source supplies locally where possible and employ local labor where possible. Thus, even allowing for some necessary imports and for the remittance of profits and dividends, their impact on a developing country's balance of payments is strongly positive. Gold mining, and metals mining generally, is essentially free of the distorting subsidies applied by some developed countries to agricultural production.
Export revenue is not the only benefit gold mining brings to a developing country. It provides royalty and tax income to governments, technology transfer, skilled employment and training for local populations, together with further jobs through the multiplier effect. In one or two cases it has provided the foundation for a significant jewelry manufacturing industry.
Gold mining can also bring substantial improvements in physical, social, legal and financial infrastructure. The establishment of a formal mining industry can be the first step in a country's industrial development. Mining is a foundation industry that often provides the critical mass for the development of electricity, water, road and rail transport in a region. This characteristic of the industry is particularly important in Africa where lack of infrastructure has been identified as one of the major hindrances to economic development.
Gold is often thought of as synonymous with wealth. Yet gold coins, bars and high-carat jewelry play a crucial role as a means of saving and defense against misfortune to many of the poor of the world. Similarly gold mining brings benefits to poorer nations. It will continue to have a role to play in fostering economic development.
Gold's value to consumers and investors in developing countries
In much of Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, gold is the best possible protection against upheaval, both political and economic. For men and women throughout the developing world, gold is still one of the most liquid and widely accepted forms of exchange, quite simply the most efficient store of value they possess. Around two thirds of the jewelry purchased in the Middle East and Asia is used as a means of saving in addition to its function as an adornment. The use of jewelry as savings is often important in rural areas where access to a reliable and appropriate banking system is difficult or impossible. Gold also offers protection against a weak currency or high domestic inflation levels, which are prevalent and persistent problems in the developing world.
Around two thirds of all jewelry manufacture takes place in the developing world and the proportion is rising. Countries such as Turkey, India, China and Thailand have all seen their exports to developed countries rise in the last few years, generating export earnings and employment. Gold jewelry sales to tourists are also important for Turkey, Egypt and Dubai.
While inflation has essentially been non-existent until recently in most developed countries, in many developing countries, inflation and the attendant currency depreciation have been rampant, causing hardship to millions, if not billions, of people. The US dollar price of gold did not perform well for 20 years from 1980 to 2000, but gold was an excellent investment in terms of for, example, the Indian rupee, the Turkish lire, or the Vietnamese dong. Where men and women do not have easy access to liquid markets in company stock or government bonds, to US dollar bank accounts, or even any bank account at all, gold has proved over and over again to be the most valuable financial asset to own.
For example, in Vietnam, gold plays an important role in the purchase of a home. Buying a home in Vietnam takes time, as is the case in most countries. From the moment a buyer and seller agree on a price to the day the paperwork and sale are completed takes a month or longer. During this time, the value of the Vietnamese currency may have fallen sharply, as the current rate of currency depreciation in that country is very rapid. Accordingly, the buyer will arrange financing with a bank not in terms of the Vietnamese dong, but in gold, which holds its value in terms of purchasing power. This arrangement means the buyer will still have enough to pay the agreed price when the sale is consummated.
Gold's value to women living in developing countries
In the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent gold plays an important role in the financial security of women. Historically, jewelry was often the only asset a Muslim or Hindu woman could own in practice, and in more traditional families this is still very much the case, especially in rural areas. A woman's gold can therefore be her only protection against personal misfortune. Hence, the practice of giving an Indian bride gold, which is considered Streedhan, or "property of the woman".
India is the world's largest market for gold jewelry, accounting in 2004 for one fifth of the global total.
Gold's important role in society's long-standing customs
Gifts of gold make a vital contribution as tokens of love and precious souvenirs on those emotional occasions that bring people together - weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas and other religious holidays, graduations, Mother's Day, birthdays, religious ceremonies such as baptisms, and many more.
Gold's function as an adornment, as jewelry, has been in existence for over 6,000 years. The earliest gold jewelry dates from the Sumerian civilization that flourished in the fertile basin between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers around 4,000 BC.
Why is gold so coveted? Since the beginning of time, the intrinsic beauty, warmth, sensuality and spiritual richness of gold has earned it pride of place as the favorite metal of jewelers. Gold has inspired craftsmen to create objects of desire that unite us with our emotions. In the Middle Ages, alchemists attempted to use their magic to make gold from other metals. They believed that gold was a source of immortality, and so it was used in medicines designed to fight old age and prolong life.
Today, consumer demand for gold jewelry is growing by over 20% per annum, demonstrating the confidence that women around the world have in gold. This level of demand far outstrips the supply for gold that mines can produce.
Gold as a preserver of value (inflation hedge, safe haven, etc.)
Gold is an effective hedge against inflation. In addition, gold is inversely correlated to the US dollar, making it a good currency hedge. As an asset class, gold has all the advantages of being universally regarded as a currency, without what are all too often the disadvantages of being subject to the economic and monetary policies of one particular country's government.
Gold's value as an effective portfolio diversifier
Gold is a highly effective portfolio diversifier due to its low to negative correlation with all major asset classes. Over the last 20 years, gold has shown no statistically significant correlation with equities. That applies not just to domestic US equities, but also to international equities, including those traded in London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, and so on.
Gold has also shown no statistically significant correlation with other mainstream asset classes, such as US Government bonds, Treasury Bills, and equity real estate investment trusts. The fundamental reason for this lack of correlation is that the factors driving the gold price are not the same as the factors that determine the returns on other assets. Obviously, there are some economic factors that influence the performance of all investments. But equally obviously, changes in gold supply and demand have no influence over the other asset classes.
As a rule, gold shows no statistically significant correlations with mainstream asset classes. However, there is evidence that when equities are under stress, in other words when shares are falling rapidly in value, an inverse correlation can develop between gold and equities. And this aspect of gold's behavior runs directly counter to the way other asset classes perform in stress situations.
Gold's value as a currency reserve
Gold is still considered an important reserve asset by most central banks, even though it is no longer the center of the international financial system. The most important reason is that gold is the only reserve asset that is no one's liability. This means that, unlike a currency, the value of gold cannot be affected by the economic policies of the issuing country or undermined by inflation in that country.
Gold has a track record of holding its real value over the centuries. Since gold is no-one's liability, it can not be repudiated and holding it is a safeguard against potential unforeseen crises. Gold also brings much needed diversity to a central bank portfolio due to its low correlation with key currencies and its strong inverse correlation with the US dollar. The central bank of Argentina, for example, when diversifying a portion of its reserves away from 100% reliance on the US dollar in 2004, included gold in its purchases.
Gold accounts for 9% of reserves held by central banks (valued at market prices).
Gold's value in industrial applications
Gold ranks among the most high-tech of metals, performing vital functions in many areas of everyday life. Gold's unique properties make it useful in medical applications, pollution control, air bags, mobile telephones, laptop computers, space travel, and many other things we consider indispensable to our modern lives. Approximately 12% of demand for gold comes from industry.
Medical Applications
Because it is "biocompatible", gold plays an important role in medical implants. For example, gold-coated "stents" are inserted into clogged arteries to clear the flow of blood. Also, because gold is opaque to x-rays, surgeons are able to place a stent with the utmost precision, which helps ensure optimal effectiveness. Other medical implants that contain gold are pace makers and insulin pumps. Gold is used in these devices because of its high level of reliability in micro electronics.
Gold possesses a high degree of resistance to bacterial colonization, and because of this it is the material of choice for implants that are at risk of infection, such as the inner ear. Gold has a long tradition of use in this application and is considered a very valuable metal in microsurgery of the ear.
Gold is being used increasingly in pharmaceutical applications. Gold is ideal for delivering biologically active materials directly into the target tissues in the human body, without damaging the tissues themselves, or altering the biological activity of the material being delivered. Gold helps doctors to deliver precise doses of powerful drugs to the parts of the body where they are required. This is important in the treatment of a range of diseases, including cancer and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
On the molecular level, gold has applications through its organic and chemical compounds used in medical science: for instance, anti-cancer drugs. Or in what doctors have started to describe as a "pharmacy on a chip" - a tiny covering of gold is used to encase micro doses of drugs on an electronic chip that is implanted in the body. When the chip is electronically activated to dissolve the tiny casing of gold, an appropriate dose of drug is released.
In a similar way, gold is the preferred material for a branch of medical research the scientists call "biolistics", because it is a marriage of biology and ballistics. Strands of DNA are blended with microscopic gold powder and injected into the skin in search of targeted cells, so that the researchers can observe the reaction. In this application, three of gold's attributes are crucial: first, its non-reactiveness. Second, the fact that it is opaque means it can be precisely located, just as with the stents. And finally, the fact that gold is dense - it has a high ratio of mass or weight to volume - means the compound can achieve the high speed required to penetrate the targeted cell.
Environmental Applications
Recently, it has been discovered that gold nanoparticles, measuring only 25 nanometres across, can split oxygen atoms, thereby facilitating oxidation reactions, which create useful organic products as oxygen atoms and carbon compounds combine. New research published in the top scientific journal Nature has revealed that gold catalysts can clean up an important chemical process that is used every day to produce tons of pharmaceuticals, detergents & food additives.
As a chemical catalyst, gold is playing an important role in new environmental applications, such as pollution control (mercury emissions) and fuel cells. By way of example, the Institute for Green Technology in Tokyo has 30 scientists working on gold catalysts for environmentally sensitive, or "green", technology applications.
To give you an idea of the importance of catalysis, it has been estimated that about one trillion dollars of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States is derived from processes that use some form of industrial catalysis.
In recent years, catalysts using gold have become a very hot topic of research. There have been breakthroughs in research studies that have shown gold to be an excellent catalyst in a number of important chemical reactions. Some of the potential applications include:
Pollution control in diesel-powered vehicles, and in the environment;
Clean energy generation, by means of fuel cells;
Sensors, for detecting gases in industrial processes;
And as catalysts for chemical and petrochemical processes. Gold may lead to new routes for the manufacture of many vital chemicals.
Other Applications
The standard touch-tone telephone would not function without the 33 contacts made from gold it contains. Air bag systems fitted in more than 30 million cars around the world rely on gold-coated electrical contacts. And every time you touch a key on your computer it strikes a gold circuit that relays your command to the computer's microprocessor.
Gold is one of the most effective conductors of electricity known to man, and its reliability compared with other metals such as palladium or copper is increased by the fact that gold is also an excellent conductor of heat. Gold is also inert and, therefore, does not react when it comes into contact with other substances. In addition, Gold does not corrode or tarnish, so it is much more reliable than other metals in electronic applications.

History of diamonds

History Of Diamonds

Introduction

A diamond is a gesture so unique, that once you have presented it to someone, it holds on to the heart for all eternity.

The History

Every diamond has an interesting story to tell. Each is the result of a remarkable natural voyage which has turned an ancient element into the world's most desired jewel. The journey began billions of years ago when they were crystallized at tremendously high temperatures, deep beneath the earth's crust.

Discoveries

After years, the fury of nature in the form of winds, water, heat and cold reworked landscapes while these gems stayed intact and hidden, awaiting for their radiance to sparkle to the world unknown.Just a few managed to survive, out of which a small amount with an appropriate size and good quality were cut and polished to be renowned as some of the finest pieces of jewelry. Diamonds are rare and are found only in a few secluded sites, spread among the oldest parts of the continents. For years, the only source known to man was one remote area in India, where diamonds were first appreciated for their capacity to disperse light. New discoveries were made in Borneo in the 7th century and in Brazil in the 18th century. Despite its insignificant size, the Brazilian finding was so popular that the ruling Portuguese marked the occasion with great joy. Festivals were staged in Lisbon, with special masses said and messages of congratulations were sent by the Pope and European monarchs. More celebrations came in 1866 when, at last, a truly significant source of diamonds was discovered in South Africa. Strangely, it owed nothing to the art or energy of the world's eager prospectors. A farmers' child was playing with some brightly colored stones found beside a river, one of which was recognized as a diamond. The gem cut from it was appropriately named "Eureka" and it marked the start of a remarkable new episode in the story of the emergence of diamonds. At present, in spite of modern technologies, diamonds are still difficult to discover. Geologists search relentlessly for these precious gems, usually in very remote places, like the frozen tundra of Siberia and Canada to the parched deserts and ocean floors of Africa.

Love and Diamonds

Diamonds have been sought after the world over. They have preserved a special magic and a sense of belonging which captured royal families since ages. It was believed that diamonds were fragments of stars and the teardrops of the Gods. Until the 15th century only Kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility. Since their creation, they were associated with romance and legend. Later they gained the character of the ultimate gift of love. It was even believed that cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds. The Greeks thought that the fire in the diamond reflected the constant flame of love.It wasn't until 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, that the diamond engagement ring was introduced. Placing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the Vena Amors, vein of love, runs directly from the heart to the tip of the fourth finger.In the 19th century, Napoleon gave his wife Marie Louise an exquisite diamond necklace on the birth of their son and more recently, producer / director Bruce Paltrow confirmed his pride in daughter Gwyneth when, after winning the Best Actress award at the 1999 Oscars, he bought her the stunning 40 carat diamond necklace she had borrowed to wear at the ceremony.

Visit http://www.castile-jewellery.co.uk

Which jewellery do you prefer?

Well guys, everybody has their own preferences as to which types of jewellery they like wearing and the reasons behind it, whether it be because yellow gold doesnt suit their skin colour ( a female told me this before now :) ) or because they have an allergy to certain types of metals. My personal thoughts are that every type of jewellery is beautiful in its own way and i think they key is to wear a few select pieces in strategic places and not horde your body with it. My personal favourite is titanium jewellery - why you may ask? You will notice with titanium that it is extremely durable and doesnt wear as quickly as gold or silver jewellery, below is an example of a titanium bracelet:

As you can see it is beautiful crafted and has the wow factor, it is strong and durable and perfect for people with allergys, you can checkout titanium jewellery at the following website http://www.castile-jewellery.co.uk and see for yourself!