At Satan's Reliquary we are experts in the treatment of silver and the techniques necessary for its transformation. We check every gram received from suppliers to ensure that our pieces meet the quality standards that characterize our work.
Just as gold is identified with the sun and in the past it was believed to be produced directly by the sun, silver is identified with the moon, and it was exactly the same; all the virtues and characteristics of the moon were to be found in silver. In fact, there are references that assure that the word “lūna” (moon) was the first to be used to name this metal.
I do not think it is necessary to give the whole list of symbolic relationships with this metal (such as the correlation: moon, night, sea, femininity, creativity, lunatism (madness), genius, possession, devil, etc.), as it could be endless.
| A superficial review of the etymology : |
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| Silver (english), Silber (german)… | According to the most respected public sources, the gothic word “sillubr”, would be -under the english, swedish and german influences- , the origin of “silver”. On the other hand, the anglo-saxon words “seolfor” and “siolfor” are the origin of the english “silver” and the germanic “silabar” and “silbir” are the origin of the german “silber”. |
| Argent (catalan, french)… | In Greece it was called “argyros”, from the Indo-European root “arg-” (white, shiny), which the latin turned into “argentum” (“argentum infectum” means “unwrought silver”). This is also the origin of the chemical symbol “Ag”. |
| Plata (castilian), prata (portuguese) | From the latin “platus” (flat, or metal plate), possibly because it was easy to handle and flatten. |
Silver is the whitest, most reflective metal, and the best conductor of heat, energy and electricity in existence.
Sterling silver contains 925 parts silver and 75 parts copper. Copper is used to harden some alloys.
If over the years the piece loses luster, or darkens slightly, it is possible to clean it with a cotton cloth dipped in lighter fluid, or with any specialized product for this purpose available from any DIY store.