| In today's world, people are used to mass | | | | are the least expensive to make compared to |
| production. They do not mind having one of the | | | | the rest which use more precious metals like gold |
| many items produced by the machine as long as | | | | or platinum. With this fact, it is not impossible for |
| they are affordable. But some things remain to be | | | | you to own handmade jewelry. The art of |
| special. Some things are meant to have more | | | | producing them is also less difficult since such |
| importance over other items, which mean they | | | | process have long existed - since the 13th |
| demand a certain premium. | | | | century. German merchants started the use of |
| Handmade silver jewelry is one of them. While | | | | sterling silver as they used silver coins for trading. |
| machines have paved the way to produce | | | | Through time, there have been many substitutes |
| cheaper jewelry, fine jewelry comes about from | | | | and additions made into the production of silver |
| careful craftsmanship. Handmade jewelry made | | | | jewelry. |
| from silver is jewelry set apart from the rest. | | | | It is therefore important to scrutinize the |
| These after all demand the patient labor of a | | | | materials used in your jewelry. The price and |
| skillful artisan who used various hand tools, instead | | | | value of your silver pieces depend on the gems |
| of letting a machine do the work. The use of files, | | | | and type of silver used. The price is not simply |
| pliers, saw, mallet and blowtorch is a painstaking | | | | dictated by the fact that they are handmade, but |
| process which guarantees uniqueness of the | | | | also on the materials used. In the United States, |
| jewelry and a premium on its price. | | | | sterling silver dictates that the piece should not |
| This is similar to possessing long gowns. There are | | | | contain less than 92.5% silver. The remaining |
| those mass-produced items you see in the | | | | content is copper. It is therefore common for |
| department store rack. These are definitely | | | | your silver jewelry to tarnish because of this |
| affordable but you get the risk of running into | | | | unique mixture of silver and copper. Silver plating |
| someone wearing the same dress. Otherwise, | | | | is a different story altogether. |
| most of these dresses do not exactly match | | | | It means that whatever item can be used on |
| your personality and style because they are | | | | your jewelry; only that a metal or some type of |
| produced considering a safe style which can be | | | | alloy is layered or coated with pure metal such as |
| accepted by most any personality. On the other | | | | silver. There are silver pieces that are plainly |
| hand, there are couture gowns which are | | | | made into costume jewelry which means they |
| produced using careful handwork, even some | | | | are produced to meet a certain trend. They may |
| patient embroidery. These are definitely more | | | | be handmade but they are usually made of |
| cutout for its owner and are more valuable than | | | | non-precious metals with false gems or even |
| those off-the-rack items. | | | | plastic. They are inexpensive and poorly made |
| Handmade jewelry are definitely more premium | | | | which results to their easy bending, breaking and |
| than the machine-produced items but silver items | | | | falling out. |