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| A Halloween themed table-scape is shown in a a Wallace Silver advertisement from the early 1900’s |
The Romance of Silver:
Queen of Metals Through the Ages
Since the day the first silver deposit was discovered, many centuries ago at the very dawn of civilization, silver has been desired and cherished perhaps more than any other metal. Its serene loveliness gleams through the pages of history, mantling all whose lives it touches with an aura of romance and distinction.
In the past, only the wealthy, the kings and the nobility, could boast possessions of silver. The rest of the world, for the most part, rarely even beheld it. Silver was far too precious and costly for all but the most patrician of households. Its value reached almost legendary proportions.
In the past, only the wealthy, the kings and the nobility, could boast possessions of silver. The rest of the world, for the most part, rarely even beheld it. Silver was far too precious and costly for all but the most patrician of households. Its value reached almost legendary proportions.
Great emperors accumulated silver treasures to bestow upon royal neighbors whose warlike ways they feared, or whose friendship they sought. Courtiers who found favor in a ruler's eyes were honored with gifts of silver. Beautiful ladies were courted and wooed with tokens of silver. And when nights of revelry marked the life of the palace or castle, guests were able to gauge the power and fortune of their host by the resplendent silver that formed the background for sumptuous banquets.
Yet, despite the limited number whose wealth and position enabled them to enjoy its beauty, silver has come down to us as a shining symbol of gracious living. In Biblical times, to greet a guest with supreme elegance and friendship was to offer him a silver goblet from which to drink and quench his thirst. When Homer sang in ancient Greece, his listeners toasted the bard's immortal poems with libations drunk from vessels wrought of silver- and the rewards they pressed upon him were often silver wine cups.
But the shining spell that silver cast from the dawn of civilization was not confined to articles of aristocratic appointments only. Women, with their instinctive love of adornment, have always been intrigued by its flattering complement to the person. In ancient Egypt, India, Greece and Rome, rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings and discs of this gleaming metal bedecked the lady of rank. This was her wealth.
The radiant luminosity of silver seems to have shone with particular effectiveness from the hair. Silver diadems of almost prehistoric vintage have been unearthed in Spain. Delicate filigree headdresses, elaborate coiffures interlaced with silver discs and charms were, and in many cases still are, beloved feminine decoration in China, Tibet and the mystery-shrouded recesses of the far-off Himalayas.
Silver made its entry, too, into the realm of music, for it was found to bequeath a depth and richness of tonal quality. The two trumpets which guided the ancient Israelites from Egyptian slavery into the Land of Promise, were fashioned of solid silver.
Images of the gods and goddesses of antiquity were carved in silver. Temples were richly adorned with it. The metal became so indigenous a part of religious ritual in ancient times, that in Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor, the silversmiths' guild, headed by Demetrius, fought the advent of Christianity, fearing its effect upon their trade. Diana was the goddess of the Ephesians, and Demetrius rallied his fellow-craftsmen to what he termed the danger not only to their craft but to the temple of their patroness. But the use of silver in churches, cathedrals, temples and mosques grew steadily greater. Pillars, massive screens, entire chapels were sometimes coated with silver.
Yet, despite the limited number whose wealth and position enabled them to enjoy its beauty, silver has come down to us as a shining symbol of gracious living. In Biblical times, to greet a guest with supreme elegance and friendship was to offer him a silver goblet from which to drink and quench his thirst. When Homer sang in ancient Greece, his listeners toasted the bard's immortal poems with libations drunk from vessels wrought of silver- and the rewards they pressed upon him were often silver wine cups.
But the shining spell that silver cast from the dawn of civilization was not confined to articles of aristocratic appointments only. Women, with their instinctive love of adornment, have always been intrigued by its flattering complement to the person. In ancient Egypt, India, Greece and Rome, rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings and discs of this gleaming metal bedecked the lady of rank. This was her wealth.
The radiant luminosity of silver seems to have shone with particular effectiveness from the hair. Silver diadems of almost prehistoric vintage have been unearthed in Spain. Delicate filigree headdresses, elaborate coiffures interlaced with silver discs and charms were, and in many cases still are, beloved feminine decoration in China, Tibet and the mystery-shrouded recesses of the far-off Himalayas.
Silver made its entry, too, into the realm of music, for it was found to bequeath a depth and richness of tonal quality. The two trumpets which guided the ancient Israelites from Egyptian slavery into the Land of Promise, were fashioned of solid silver.
Images of the gods and goddesses of antiquity were carved in silver. Temples were richly adorned with it. The metal became so indigenous a part of religious ritual in ancient times, that in Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor, the silversmiths' guild, headed by Demetrius, fought the advent of Christianity, fearing its effect upon their trade. Diana was the goddess of the Ephesians, and Demetrius rallied his fellow-craftsmen to what he termed the danger not only to their craft but to the temple of their patroness. But the use of silver in churches, cathedrals, temples and mosques grew steadily greater. Pillars, massive screens, entire chapels were sometimes coated with silver.
Empires rose and fell, civilizations flourished and decayed, but the reign of the Queen of Metals continued, its glory undimmed, its prestige unchallenged. In the Orient, potentates and Maharajahs, whose reign extended over vast stretches of territory and millions of people, put their wealth into silver. Its estate value continues to this very day. Objects of silver are precious heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation.
Silver is also the metal of gracious living and pride in possession a stamp not merely of wealth, but of culture. Wherever men seek to imbue their lives and homes with lasting loveliness, silver is honored above all metals. – From Wallace Beauty Moods in Silver, by William Warren, 1947
🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia
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