Sterling Silver Jewelry: Silver & The Seven Metals
If you asked someone to find a representative of silver or gold in nature, the chances are their eyes would dart skyward to the attendant lights of the Sun and the Moon. However, their association between metal and planet is far from being a spontaneous or independent action, these connections have been subconsciously engraved on our psyche since time immemorial.It started as early as 5500 B.C. during the ‘Chalcholithic’ period of western Anatolia, an area that corresponds to modern Turkey. Preceding both iron and bronze ages, the Chalcholithic period is translated into plain English as the Copper Age. This period marked the transition of Neolithic humans into the first organized societies. The Copper Age concept is based upon the transformation of metal ores through process metallurgy into implements and items of jewelry such as rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets.
Form the Chalcholithic period to 1400 A.D., there were only seven metals known to man. These metals are: Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead and Mercury and are known collectively as the ‘Seven Metals Of Antiquity.’ Mercury was mistakenly thought to be a type of Silver, its Greek name: ‘Hydrargyrum’ meant ‘Watery Silver,’ which later evolved into the English ‘Quick Silver.’
The common notion of these pre-scientific periods was that the Earth, and everything in it, was a reflection of the heavens: ‘As It Is Above So It Is Below.’ This was the basis of alchemy, the precursor to modern science. So when alchemists and high priests looked above to the gods of the seven visible planets, they found their sacred answer below embodied by the equivalent properties and number in the ‘The Seven Metals Of Antiquity.’ The connection was made.
During this period, civilizations from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Greece venerated the seven metals to such an extent that all were placed amongst the heavens each one allocated to one of the seven visible planets and their respective deities. For the Egyptians gold was the metal of the sun and its god Amun, silver was appropriated to the Moon and the ‘Mother Heaven’ Isis. The Greeks appointed copper, used in ornamentation and jewelry, to the planet and goddess of beauty Venus. The Greeks used iron for the fabrication of instruments of warfare, and thus associated it with the planet and god of war Mars. Accordingly lead was associated with Saturn, tin with Jupiter and Mercury of course speaks for itself.
The next step in these ancient associations was designating each metal with specific symbols. Although evolving slightly overtime these same symbols were to be used by alchemists such as Boyle and Newton right up until the 18th Century A.D. In their hieroglyphs the ancient Egyptians had already symbolized the Sun and Amun with the circle denoting perfection, and the half circle or crescent to represent the Moon and Isis. For the Egyptians gold with its shimmering radiance, was the most perfect metal and so earned itself the perfect circle. Silver was secondary to gold in its perceived value, and so its shimmering luster was chosen to represent the Moon and its half circle. Consequently the less noble a metal was considered the more flawed the circle, this concept spilled over into the later culture of classical Greece. The Greeks used iron for warfare, and associated it with Mars, copper was used in jewelry and was appropriated to Venus: Both these metals ancient alchemic signs are still used today to denote male and female gender.
The deities of the seven planets and their related seven metals are also intertwined in another concept that revolves around the number Seven…In ancient Greece the moon goddess was called Selene, later in Rome she was known as Luna. The Silver light of the Moon goddesses was celebrated by ‘Dies Lunae’ meaning ‘Moon Day’. We know that day as Monday…One of the Seven days of a week.
This article was written by David-John Turner for the Silvershake website, an online retailer of silver jewelry at wholesale prices. Purchase today and get gemstone silver jewelry worth up to $60...Free!
Copyright © www.silvershake.com. All Rights Reserved.
During this period, civilizations from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Greece venerated the seven metals to such an extent that all were placed amongst the heavens each one allocated to one of the seven visible planets and their respective deities. For the Egyptians gold was the metal of the sun and its god Amun, silver was appropriated to the Moon and the ‘Mother Heaven’ Isis. The Greeks appointed copper, used in ornamentation and jewelry, to the planet and goddess of beauty Venus. The Greeks used iron for the fabrication of instruments of warfare, and thus associated it with the planet and god of war Mars. Accordingly lead was associated with Saturn, tin with Jupiter and Mercury of course speaks for itself.
The next step in these ancient associations was designating each metal with specific symbols. Although evolving slightly overtime these same symbols were to be used by alchemists such as Boyle and Newton right up until the 18th Century A.D. In their hieroglyphs the ancient Egyptians had already symbolized the Sun and Amun with the circle denoting perfection, and the half circle or crescent to represent the Moon and Isis. For the Egyptians gold with its shimmering radiance, was the most perfect metal and so earned itself the perfect circle. Silver was secondary to gold in its perceived value, and so its shimmering luster was chosen to represent the Moon and its half circle. Consequently the less noble a metal was considered the more flawed the circle, this concept spilled over into the later culture of classical Greece. The Greeks used iron for warfare, and associated it with Mars, copper was used in jewelry and was appropriated to Venus: Both these metals ancient alchemic signs are still used today to denote male and female gender.
The deities of the seven planets and their related seven metals are also intertwined in another concept that revolves around the number Seven…In ancient Greece the moon goddess was called Selene, later in Rome she was known as Luna. The Silver light of the Moon goddesses was celebrated by ‘Dies Lunae’ meaning ‘Moon Day’. We know that day as Monday…One of the Seven days of a week.
This article was written by David-John Turner for the Silvershake website, an online retailer of silver jewelry at wholesale prices. Purchase today and get gemstone silver jewelry worth up to $60...Free!
Copyright © www.silvershake.com. All Rights Reserved.
