November 11th marks Veterans Day in the United States. Originally established in 1926 as “Armistice Day” in order to celebrate the end of World War I, and honor those who fought in the conflict, the name was changed after subsequent wars such as World War II and the Korean War. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a law that officially changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, a national holiday to honor those Americans who have fought in any war. Although Veterans Day has also in modern time become associated with sales events in retail stores, its original role – to commemorate those who have sacrificed to defend the United States – still remains its fundamental role.

On the occasion when we reflect on those who have served in wars, it is also worth discussing the powerful memorials that also commemorate those wars. All of these are located in the Washington, D.C. area and would add to any historical trip to the nation’s capital.

Vietnam Memorial – Perhaps the most famous war memorial, officially called the “Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” this site receives around 3 million visitors each year. It is composed of three sections, which were completed at different times. The Memorial Wall, completed in 1982 houses the names of 58,195 Americans killed during the conflict, was designed by a student named Maya Lin, only 21 when her entry was chosen. The second section is the Three Soldiers statue, designed by Frederick Hart and completed in 1984. The final addition was the Women’s Memorial, designed by Glenda Goodacre and finished in 1993, which is dedicated to the nurses and other female service personnel who served during the Vietnam conflict.

National World War II Memorial - A relatively new memorial, dedicated to the veterans and civilians who served in World War II, this structure was unveiled in 2004. Located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial contains 58 pillars, one for each U.S. state at the time of the war and the other American territories, such as Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, that contributed to the war effort. In the middle is a plaza with a large pool and fountain. There are also two arches, each 43 feet high, at the ends of the plaza. One arch is dedicated to the Pacific phase of the war and the other to the Atlantic. The site receives over 4 million visitors each year.

Korean War Memorial - This memorial, finished in 1994, is located in the West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The structure features reflective walls that house over 2,000 photographic images from the war. There are also 19 statues of soldiers from all four branches of the military interspersed in the memorials. A short wall features a United Nations section that displays the names of all of the nations that contributed to the war. Finally, there is a Pool of Remembrance that lists pertinent statistics about the war, such as the 54, 246 Americans and 628,833 U.N. soldiers killed in action.

Arlington National Cemetery - The oldest of the memorials here, the national cemetery in Virginia was first established in 1864, following the American Civil War. There are buried soldiers from every American war in Arlington, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The site also houses a number of memorials, including the Tombs of the Unknowns (first called “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”), the Nurses Memorial and the eternal flame at the grave of President Kennedy. The Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater frequently hosts state funerals and other war commemorations.

All of us at Silver Mine Gifts would like to thank all of our Veterans and their families who have served our country with honor and dignity, God Bless You.

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In Remembrance of 9/11

As this year marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, we would like to take this opportunity to offer our thoughts to those who lost family or friends on that day. 9/11 has changed the United States and the world in so many ways, but it has had an even more profound impact on those personally affected by this tragic day. Our deepest sympathies and prayers go to those people who have had their lives forever changed.

Also, we would like to offer sincere thanks to all of the police, firefighters, medical personnel and others who put their lives at risk on that fateful day – and continue to make that sacrifice each and every day to help and save others. Furthermore, special appreciation goes to the brave men and women of the military, counter-terrorism, and intelligence forces who work so hard and diligently, often at great peril to themselves, to ensure our safety. The entire nation owes them all a great deal of gratitude.

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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.

Rolls-Royce’s second model to bear the silver name was the Silver Wraith, produced just after World War II. The image below is of a 1948 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith convertible.

With only 760 being produced between the years of 1949 and 1955, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn was an exceptional car, originally intended to only be an export model.

The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was the core model of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars range from April 1955 until March 1966.

Following the Cloud is the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Around this time is when Rolls-Royce began to change, buckling from industry criticism that they were falling behind the times and failing to advance with the rest of the industry. The Silver Shadow was the most highly model ever produced by Rolls-Royce, with a total of more than 38,000 cars built.

The Silver Spirit was next in the line of Rolls-Royce cars bearing the silver name. There were several releases of this car, the Mark I, II, III and IV. This model was also referred to as the Silver Spur.

Lastly comes the Silver Seraph, a Rolls-Royce model for the ages which ended production in 2002. “All Seraphs were hand-built at the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, England, which stopped making Rolls-Royce models in 2002 but continued with Bentley. The car had a base price of £155,175 in the UK and $220,695 in the US. It was second in cost and exclusivity only to the Rolls-Royce Corniche.”

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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:

The gold content of naturally occurring electrum in modern Western Anatolia ranges from 70% to 90%, in contrast to the 45–55% of electrum used in ancient Lydian coinage of the same geographical area. This suggests that one reason for the invention of coinage in that area was to create a situation in which a partly fiduciary means of exchange and storage of wealth could be imposed by a governing power on a population.

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1. “Argentum” is the Latin word origin of silver. Its symbol, Ag, in the periodic table of elements, also originated from this word.
2. Because it prevents bacteria growth, silver can be used for water purification as an alternative to powerful chemicals like chlorine and bromine.
3. Silver coins were being used as early as 700 BC.



4. Utilized even by prehistoric civilizations, man learned to separate silver from lead as early as 3000 B.C.
5. Silver fulminate is a powerful explosive. It’s sometimes formed during the silvering process.
6. Silver has the lowest contact resistance of any metal.
7. Ancient Egyptians and medieval Europeans considered silver more valuable than gold.
8. Silver is classified as a “Transition Metal” which are located in Groups 3 – 12 of the Periodic Table. An Element classified as a transition metal is considered to be ductile, malleable, and capable of conducting heat and electricity (pure silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity of all known metals.).
9. Stable in pure air and water, silver tarnishes when exposed to air or water containing ozone or hydrogen sulfide. This reaction forms a black layer of silver sulfide which can be cleaned with diluted hydrochloric acid.
10. Among metals, pure silver has the highest thermal conductivity, the whitest color, and the highest optical reflectivity.
11. Silver has antimicrobial properties. It has been proven that a small concentration of silver can kill harmful bacteria just like antibiotics.
12. The blue man is known for turning blue because of drinking a homemade silver solution, resulting in the skin disease Argyria.
13. Silver comes from igneous and sedimentary rocks.
14. It is illegal to use silver as a food decorative in Australia.
15. Silver iodide is used to make clouds produce rain.
16. Silver is so malleable that it can be pounded to a thinness of 6/10000 of a millimeter. Also, since silver is very ductile, a single ounce of the stuff can be stretched into a wire over 48km long!
17. Silver is used to represent the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
18. The name silver came from the old English word seolfor.
19. Silver necklaces were placed around children’s necks in ancient china in hope of warding of evil spirits.
20. There were 1,740,000 metric tons of silver discovered in the world prior to the year 2007.
21. In India, food is often decorated with a thin layer of silver, known as Varak.
22. 40% of silver goes towards photographic film.
23. There is no other word in the English language that rhymes with silver other than the word chilver.
24. Before 1797, British pennies were coined out of silver.
25. Argentina was named from Argentum, the element of silver’s Latin name.
26. Though there are songs about the silvery moon, there is very little silver, if any, in the moon’s soil.
27. You can make your own mirror with silver, since this metal can reflect about ninety five percent of visible light. Aluminum is more often used commercially, as it tends to be less expensive.
28. Aside from the Untied States, Mexico, Australia, Peru, Russia, and Canada are the chief producers of silver.
29. To prevent food from spoiling, the Phoenicians used silver bottles to preserve their foods.
30. You can clean your silver jewelry easily with baking soda, hot water, and aluminum foil.

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