Silver Mine Gifts Blog

World Teachers’ Day is just around the corner. For the last fifteen years, we’ve been honoring and celebrating our educators each October 5th. They play such a valuable and pivotal role in society, so it has been tradition to present one’s teachers (or at least their favorite) with a gift.

Over one hundred countries around the world observe Teacher’s Day. According to UNESCO, “World Teachers’ Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development.”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We’re rapidly approaching (and for some, already in) the season of food, company, and overall merriment. Holidays like the Jewish and Islamic New Year call for huge feasts, even larger than that of Thanksgiving. And Christmas… it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy the winter holiday that warms up millions of souls worldwide. New Year’s Eve, we’ll have a great bash, celebrating 2010 and commemorating 2009.

It doesn’t take someone being an automobile enthusiast to recognize the Rolls-Royce namesake. Rolls-Royce has a storied history and has been producing automobiles since the start of the 20th century and for much of the company’s history Rolls-Royce has been considered the most prestigious automaker in the world.

Rolls-Royce’s first model to bear the “Silver” tag was the Silver Ghost, a car originally named the “40/50 h.p.” Though hardly any of the automobile contained actual silver, the fittings being silver-plated, it was given this name by myriad reporters who fell in love with its wonderful design. Rolls-Royce didn’t officially recognize this name until 1925, following the launch of the Phantom line. The Silver Ghost is the direct origin of Rolls-Royce’s claim of manufacturing the “Best car in the world” — a declaration made not by themselves, but by the prestigious automobile publication Autocar in 1907.

Before the widely accepted use of silver and gold as a form or trade and currency there was electrum. Electrum (from the Greek ήλεκτρου for “amber,” in allusion to its color), a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver with trace amounts of copper and other metals, possesses silver in concentrations just higher than twenty percent and its color is best described as a pale amber, though this varies depending on the metallic composition. Although electrum occurs naturally, it can be produced artificially.

From Wikipedia:

A soft cloth wouldn’t do it. Paper towel wouldn’t do it. A sponge and hot water wouldn’t do it. You’ve tried everything Grandma suggested, but still can’t seem to give your silver the luster you know it’s capable of exuding. Could it be that you’re applying the wrong trick? Grab a pen and pad and follow these instructions on how to properly care for your silver.

Storage:
Store your silver jewelry in tarnish-proof cloths or bags. Tarnish retarding cloths help slow down the aging process. Think of it as the Botox of the jewelry world. More importantly, it keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that might damage it. You can find tarnish prevention bags in jewelry and department stores in the silver and jewelry section.

Quick, think of a piece of jewelry off the top of your head. What is it? Likely, it’s something fancy, beautiful, and geared towards a woman. How about the men, though? There are many rings and chains that guys do wear, but what about charms? Charms, whether for bracelets, cellphones, or bags are typically considered more feminine in nature. Well, there’s an exception to every rule.

Here are six very beautiful, but masculine, silver charms. Each can be placed on a charm bracelet, but also look great as cellphone charms. Because each person is a unique individual, just like a beautifully done piece of silver jewelry, you can also check out the main silver charms page to find one that’s perfect for you.

Sapphire is the birthstone of September. The word “sapphire” means “clear thinking” but it can also be translated to “dear to planet Saturn” in  some languages. Some claim that name sapphire is derived from a combination of the Latin word “saphirus” and the Greek word “sapheiros,” both meaning blue. Others believe that it originated from its association with the planet Saturn.

Sapphire is a very unique gemstone with a wide array of applications. Though it is commonly used to make birthstone  jewelry, it can also be used for everything from infrared optical components and crystals to knife blades and windows.