What is the history of silver?

Silver is a hugely popular and versatile metal but many people are unaware of the history of silver and in particular silver jewellery.

Most historians agree that the first known peoples to make use of silver for jewellery purposes were the Egyptians and the Samarians. The appeal of silver jewellery was such that it became a highly regarded luxury substance and quickly spread via trade throughout the Mediterranean basement region. The Greeks and later the Romans used silver extensively for decorations and jewellery.

Silver mining continued during the Dark and Middle Ages primarily in the silver-rich regions of Spain. The mining methods deployed during these periods were, however, terribly inefficient. Our history of silver shows that more advanced Greek and Roman mining techniques were simply lost. Silver mining methods throughout these early medieval times remained very similar, with the miners following each silver vein until exhaustion instead of using the more rewarding vertical shaft mining system. The result was that silver remained hugely expensive and simply unaffordable for all but the aristocracy.

Later, the brutal Conquistador invasion of South America by the Spanish uncovered huge silver deposits which were swiftly extracted and despatched on treasure galleons to the Old World. The history of silver and the history of gold during the Conquistador period unfortunately followed remarkably similar lines.

Today, some of the largest deposits of silver are found in Mexico and, unknown to many, Australia. These regions continue to be amongst the greatest silver exporters.

As a result of advances in mining techniques, coupled with reduced transport costs, everyone today can purchase beautiful, yet relatively inexpensive, silver jewellery.

Also see our FAQ on the uses of silver.

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