Men's Silver Jewelry

An Article by Jason Gluckman from EzineArticles.com

Silver jewelry is one of the hippest trends in fashion jewelry today. Although silver jewelry is often associated with women, nowadays, it has become a popular fashion statement even for men.

Why men's silver jewelry is popular

The popularity of men's silver jewelry continues to grow because of several reasons. One is the price. Men's silver jewelry is less expensive compared to gold or platinum. For young men who do not have a lot of money to spend, silver jewelry offers them a wide range of choices without sacrificing style.

Aside from price, trend is another reason. A lot of celebrities, fashion models, and other personalities that appear in magazines and television show wear different silver jewelry such as silver bracelets, bold silver rings, and silver necklaces. Young men, in particular, like to follow trends so when they see these personalities wearing silver jewelry, they are also enticed to buy some.

And the last reason for buying jewelry is the variety of options that are available when shopping. Whether it is a man's wedding ring, bracelet, or necklace, everything comes in a silver version.

Men's silver jewelry online

Unlike women, men are not patient when it comes to shopping for silver jewelry. That is why men's silver jewelry can be purchased online. Online shopping offers a lot of advantages to men who cannot find the time to go shopping for silver jewelry in jewelry boutiques or the local department store.

Online companies even offer men's discount silver jewelry, largely because they have lower overhead costs, which they can pass on as savings to consumers. This makes shopping online more convenient. Of course, online stores' boast 24-hour customer access and easy online ordering systems.

Men's silver jewelry may not be as valuable as their gold and platinum counterparts. But these are even more fashionable especially because they complement so many skin tones and fabric colors.


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Six common questions about sterling silver jewelry

An informative article by Greg Peterson 5/29/06.

Sterling silver jewelry has been a popular commodity for thousands of years. One of the obvious reasons is the affordability over other precious metals gold and platinum. The large variety of sterling silver jewelry requires certain knowledge in order to choose the right piece and also keep it in good condition as long as possible. The followings are the most common questions concerning sterling silver jewelry.

How do I clean sterling silver jewelry?
It depends. Usually, it is sufficient to use a jewelry cloth (with two layers of cloths in different colors) that you can get from a jewelry accessory store. Don't use any hard object to clean sterling silver jewelry; even paper towel could scratch the surface. You should rub any dirt off using a jewelry cloth, not fingernails. Silver-dip is another commonly used sterling silver jewelry cleaner, which can also be obtained from jewelry store. The entire silver jewelry is immerged in the solution for half a minute to a minute and then rinsed with water. Make sure the silver jewelry is not plated with any other metal before using the silver-dip or the plating will be damaged.

Where do I store sterling silver jewelry?
It is very important to store sterling silver jewelry properly when it is not used. The ideal place to store sterling silver jewelry is cool and away from sunlight. Heat and light will turn a silver jewelry yellow and cause it to tarnish quickly. Even indoor light source like florescent lights or light bulbs turn the color of silver jewelry over time. If you expect not to wear a certain piece for a long time, put it in a air-tight bag and store it in a drawer.

What types of silver jewelry plating are there?
Unlike gold and platinum, however, pure silver is rather unstable and oxides rather quickly. Therefore, silver jewelry is usually plated with another metal to protect it from tarnishing. There are two kinds of plating for silver jewelry: nickel and rhodium plating. Nickel plating has a more whitish look and rhodium plating has a darker look. Rhodium is used to plate white gold and platinum jewelry and is much more expensive than nickel, and it give better protection to the silver underneath. On the other hand, some silver jewelry is not plated. For instance, high polished sterling silver jewelry does not have any plating and the surface is polished by machine to render shininess. Also, "oxidized silver" jewelry is oxidized on purpose to give a dark antique look and is not plated with any other metals.

How do I know the purity of my silver jewelry?
The purity of sterling silver refers to 92.5% of silver in the alloy. In order to confirm the purity, the metal itself has to be sent to a laboratory to be tested. However, most of the sterling silver jewelry produced nowadays has a "925" stamp to indicate the authenticity of the jewelry. Although there are cases where stamps are forged and the metal is either not silver or the purity is not as stated, they are very rare.

How about engraving and resizing?
Engraving and resizing of sterling silver rings is rather simple due to the ductility and relatively low melting point. However, make sure your jeweler understands the process of refinishing the ring and that they possess the necessary equipment to do so. Not all jewelers have the equipment to recoat the rhodium plating after cutting and welding the ring. Also, rings set with stones are sometimes not resizable because resizing might cause the stones to pop out. Such settings include channel and invisible settings.

Can I wear sterling silver jewelry if I am allergic to nickel?
Yes, just make sure the jewelry is pure sterling silver, not plated with nickel. Even Rhodium plated sterling silver jewelry sometimes contains a nickel layer between the silver and the rhodium to act as an adhesive. Hence, buy only high polished sterling silver jewelry if you are allergic to nickel.

Designer Lori Bonn; Clearly Good Conscience.

Lori Bonn not only has fabulous designs with unique colors, she is working towards a socially and environmentally responsible industry. Take a look at the Clear Clear Conscience Jewelry Press Release.

From:
Clear Conscience Jewelry
December 13, 2006

Socially Responsible Bangle, Baubles & Beads!


Oakland, CA . . . Lori Bonn Designs announced the launch of a long term industry project called Clear Conscience © jewelry and accessories that will provide the consumer a choice to purchase products that are environmentally neutral and socially positive. In developing this initiative, it is Lori Bonn Gallagher and her husband Bill’s hope that their program will lead to a standard in the industry for Clear Conscience © jewelry and accessories.

To assist in their project, Lori and Bill are seeking advice, support and participation of suppliers, other designers, retailers, educational institutions and consumers. Once adopted, anyone purchasing a Clear Conscience © product will know that the item was produced in a responsible manner without harm to the environment or the people in the communities from which it came.

Lori Bonn Designs recognizes that while there are jewelry and accessory products that are made and come from responsible sources, not all are produced in this manner. The concern of the Gallagher’s is that there are many communities around the world that have been harmed by the environmental impact of material production and have had negative social impact from unsafe and unfair labor practices.

Without a standard, the average consumer has little way of knowing the impact of their purchases. Misdirected consumer backlash due to lack of knowledge or misinformation could even harm communities that can least afford it. Clear Conscience © accessories creates the possibility that an informed consumer and a cohesive, aligned industry will have a positive impact on the communities which we trade and give consumers a “clear conscience” when purchasing their baubles, bangles and beads!

Get a peek at the upcoming Lori Bonn spring line, Frida, at jewelrycrossings.com

Lubov (Luba) Warrack, Dedicated Silversmith and Jeweler

Lubov (Luba) Warrack, a dedicated silversmith and featured jeweler on jewelrycrossings.com, quite amazingly arrived at the jeweler’s bench via the science lab.

In fact, Luba came to the United States from her homeland of Russia in 1990 on a research grant. A graduate in biology from Moscow State University, she received a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the Russian Academy of Sciences. When her research was completed at a university in North Carolina she wanted to become a university lecturer, but was told her Russian accent would present a problem.


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Luckily, at the same time Luba was involved in scientific research back in Moscow, she was also pursuing a parallel interest in and fascination with jewelry making. She successfully completed an apprenticeship with Evgeny Butorov, silversmith and restoration expert at the Moscow Historical Museum from 1979 to 1982, working on icon mounts in gold and silver filigree. So when her work in academia was ending, Luba decided to take her jewelry making talent to the next level. Soon she was selling her pieces of sterling silver earrings, pendants, bracelets and rings at local jewelry shows on the east coast.

Some of Luba’s early work concentrated on the classic Russian filigree she had learned back in Russia, but soon she found herself experimenting with contemporary styles and the innovative techniques in silver making. She studied plique-a-jour enameling with Valeri Timofeev at East Carolina University and reticulation techniques at Duke University under Mary Ann Scherr.

Today Luba's artistry still excites the beholder with intricately woven filigree patterns, inspired by her training on Russian historical icons. But her creative energy also finds a home in a fascinating technique called "reticulation" which transforms the surface of her sterling silver pieces into a creased, crepe-like texture. She especially enjoys making ribbons of sterling silver and weaving them into custom bracelets and pendant mountings. Often she imports rare Russian gemstones not readily found in North America, as well as the more familiar like amber, and incorporates them into her contemporary designs.



Citrine Silver Pendant
In the past ten years Luba has exhibited her work at numerous shows from New England to California and has won many awards including Best in Jewelry Category at the Virginia-Highlands Show in Atlanta; Best in Show at the Cityfest, Charlotte, N.C.; and Best in Category at the Art on the Lawn, Richmond, VA.

Luba makes her home with husband Giles, a mathematics professor, in Greensboro, N.C. You can see Luba’s work by visiting www.jewelrycrossings.com

- Susi, Silver Jewelry Crossings