What is silver and where does it come from?
- Silver (AG) is found in the Earth's crust in it´s pure, free elemental form ("nativesilver"). It is also found as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite.
- Most silver is produced as a by product of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.
- Silver is a very ductile and malleable metal. It is a soft, white, lustrous and very reflective when polished.
Conductive Properties
- Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all elements. In fact, its electrical conductivity is even greater than copper, the most commonly used metal for electrical cables and wirings.
- The very high conductivity of silver means it is also and aids the flow of energy around the body releasing blockages and promoting calm.
Medicinal Properties
- Silver is a scientifically proven to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Ever heard the phrase "Born with a silver spoon in their mouth"?
- This is reference to the antibacterial properties of silver during the plague (circa 1665) when the children of people who could afford to use silver table wear and cutlery were seen to less likely to catch the plague.
- Silver has antimicrobial properties, meaning that the metal and its compounds are toxic for bacteria, algae, and fungi. Historically, this has given silver a near-magical reputation and today this has evolved into an association between silver and purity.
- Silver has a distinctly scientific basis for its health benefits derived from its electrical and thermal conductivity.
- Positively-charged silver ions create a conductive field that reflects electromagnetic radiation away from the body, which stimulates the body’s natural conductivity and improves blood circulation, body temperature balance, and general well-being.
- Ions also bind to negatively charged oxygen receptors in bacteria, which is why silver can fight against harmful infection and disease.
- Researchers at the University of Southampton have proven that wearing a specific type of silver ring can help alleviate some symptoms of arthritis in the hands.
- The researchers found that wearing these silver jewellery pieces also helped restore stability and range of motion in the inflamed joints.
Colour Psycology
- Silver is the most highly reflective of any of the elements.
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In colour psychology it signifies self reflection and change in direction as it illuminates the way forward.
- Psychologically, silver is associated with clarity and honesty—its reflective properties allow silver to function as a mirror to the soul.
- Silver items are often perceived as being cleaner than objects made from different materials, and the wide use of silver and silver-imitating colours in hospitals, bathrooms and space stations is testament to silver’s purifying persona.
- Some believe that silver charms have the ability to draw negative energy away from the body, instilling the wearer with confidence and clarity of purpose.
- Being derived from a neutral, or achromatic color, silver has no single complementary color. It can be treated in a similar way to gray, which means it can be deemed complementary to a wide range of colours.
- Silver will pair equally well with warm colours, such as yellow, orange, or pink, as cool colours, such as blue or green.
Meaning of Silver
- Silver has a conflicted identity. In one sense, it is strongly associated with wealth, glamor and, historically, with chivalry. In another sense, its secondary position to gold, and its tendency to tarnish over time makes it an imperfect and transitional color.
- It is silver’s confliction and that makes it a mysterious and, in some contexts, offbeat and fluid color choice. The ‘silver standard’ might suggest an inferior option to a ‘gold standard’, but other phrases suggest it has a higher standing in many cultures.
- To say someone is born with a ‘silver spoon’ in their mouth is to imply inherited wealth, while “silver-haired” suggests a distinguished individual who has aged with wisdom and grace (compared to the more dismissive “gray-haired”).
- Silver has long had an association with Hollywood, i.e. the silver screen and the history of cinema and still remains a symbol of vintage glamor today.
- Silver is seen as a having a feminine energy.
- It is related to the moon, the water and the tides.
- It represents natures flux, fluidity and flow.
- This nature of reflectiveness, power, conflictions, femininity, flux, flow and connections to the celestial all add to make it seem a mysterious and mystical element.