| No doubt, as an investment, gold and platinum
are far more highly regarded and desired metals but when it
comes to style, design, versatility and mass appeal, silver
more than holds its own position and regard. It is a metal long
associated with all the goodness of the world, silver voiced,
silver tongued, silver lining, silver screen, silver jubilee
and silver spoon.
The use of silver began a long time ago. The discovery of
methods to separate silver from lead occurred around 2000BC,
enabled the extensive use of silver, especially for the purpose
of jewellery and as a medium of exchange.
Silver ornaments and decorations have been found in royal
tombs 2000 years old. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors
had discovered and developed silver mines in Mexico, Bolivia
and Peru much richer in silver these new mines resulted in
the rise of South and Central America as the largest silver
producing areas in the world. In 1959, an extremely large
silver deposit was discovered near Virginia City, Nevada this
yielded over 225 million dollars in silver during its productive
years and resulted in the United States becoming the world’s
largest silver producer until the 20th century.
Today, if we take a look at the international silver scenario,
the message is clear to despite the glitter of gold and platinum;
silver is holding its own position. Unlike white gold and
platinum that tend to be expensive and offer comparatively
lesser choice in their creations, silver is more affordable,
accessible and offers a variety of collections which make
it more preferred among not just the youth of today but also
among the elders.
Even in this day and age India’s tribal silver jewellery,
of which Toda is the best known, has no match worldwide. Among
the Toda’s, silver goes beyond mere adornment; it is
seen as an investment preferable to cash in hand. However
for the modem woman, silver is not so much an investment but
an invitation to indulge in jewellery that is as affordable
as it is beauty. The metal’s aficionados wear their
prized pieces of jewellery with as much delight as they would
flaunt a priceless piece in gold.
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