About Our Silver Hand Stamped Jewelry and Handwriting Jewelry
Here at Heart on Your Wrist we carry on a centuries old tradition of offering hand-crafted jewelry made from silver. In fact, the craft of making rings, necklaces and charms from this gleaming metal dates back to 4,000 BC when silver mining began in Anatolia, now modern Turkey. From the very beginning, silver was prized for its beauty, luster and strength and its ability to be easily shaped and molded into magnificent ornaments and jewelry. From the early days, gifts of silver jewelry were given as a symbol of trust, truth, excellence, wisdom and love. Now, we here at Heart on Your Wrist proudly offer you unique metal stamping and personalized jewelry that reflects these time tested practices.
What is silver?
You might remember from high school chemistry class that silver is one of the elements of the Periodic Table, with an atomic number of 47. It conducts heat and electricity very well. It has been used for medicinal purposes and is thought to have healing properties. Above all though, silver is treasured for its light-reflecting capabilities and its shiny white coloring--this is what gives it value and what makes it the perfect setting for a beautiful necklace, bracelet or charm.
Not All Silver is Alike
While considerably strong and extremely malleable, silver in its purist form is usually too soft for most jewelry, so much of the silver jewelry on the market today is actually a blend of pure silver mixed with other metals to make it stronger. At Heart on Your Wrist, we offer several silver types:
Fine Silver
Fine silver is silver in its purest form--at about 99.5% to 99.9% silver content. Fine silver is very soft and malleable and is used for some types of jewelry, such as jewelry with an elaborate woven design or a fancy floral filigree. Fine silver does not tarnish that easily because of its high silver content. Fine silver makes nice hand stamped jewelry since is somewhat soft and doesn't tarnish easily.
Sterling Silver
Most of the stamped silver jewelry we sell at Heart on Your Wrist, from cherished Mommy Necklaces to personalized name rings and message jewelry, is made of sterling silver.
Believed to have originated sometime around the 12th century, sterling silver is what's known as an alloy, comprised of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper), which adds strength to the silver while preserving its natural beauty. The composition of sterling silver was standardized at 92.5% in Europe and the United States in the late 19th century and it is now common practice to mark all sterling as such. Some of the marks you might see include .925, Sterling, Ster and Sterling Silver
Thai Silver
Thai silver, used in some of the most distinct pieces on our site, is made of 99.5% to 99.9% silver, or fine silver. Artisans in this Southeast Asian country love to work with pure silver for its malleability, allowing them to create elaborate shapes and etchings that are the very signature of their style. This is done either with handwork or with castings. Thai silver also generally has a matte rather than glossy finish. Our Thai silver charms make wonderful name pendants and customized jewelry tags.