Sterling Silver Summer Jewelry Fashions Of 2007

Speaking for myself, the world of seasonal ‘Haute Couture,’ or high fashion as we know it, is exactly that…High! In fact, in financial and physical terms it’s so high that it’s completely out of my reach! Unfortunately no excuse, financial or otherwise, is good enough to appease the skinny fashionista that sulks beneath the surface of this mushrooming 30-year old mother of two on a budget! So how can I shape up and get myself in tune with this summer's fashions?

Well, aside from an on-hand 24-hour liposuction crew, more face-lifts than downtown New York and the sweetest of one-cal sugar daddies…not much! Happily, with the on-line world of information and affordable choice, those inconvenient inadequacies, stretched elastics and even tighter purse strings are as they say, excuse my French, ‘Passé.’ With the Internet’s choices, there really are no excuses not to update our wardrobes and still stay within budget! So what are the hottest fashion tendencies, colors, accessories and jewelry styles for the summer 2007?

Some of the most appealing concepts and styles for this summer are ‘Futuristic’ –based around geometrics in metallic silver and gold, ‘Monochrome’ – Beat classic black and white styling, ‘Tribal’ – Ethnic global styles and ‘Baby Pastel’ colors that dominate this summer’s tendencies.

Monochrome is everywhere this summer from Dior, Givenchy to YSL. Think of the concept a long the lines of the Beat generation of the 1960s, and the model Edie Sedgwick of Warhol’s Factory.

Black and whites are incredibly classy, sophisticated and above all easy to put together. All clothing is acceptable, but especially hot are mini dresses, slacks and shorts. Go for patterns of big bold swirls, stripes, diamonds, checks and dogs-tooth just as long as they are black and white your safe.

A far as accessories are concerned big black sunglasses are a must, and when I say big I mean Jackie Onassis big. Jewelry is preferable in 60’s hip styling, big hoop and drop earrings, cocktail rings and bracelets echoing the New York monochrome set. Some really lovely matching gems to consider are black onyx and black and white mother of pearl, again this would look better set into silver for the overall look, and considering silver is the in-color highly appropriate.

Tribal, also referred to as Ethnic, is an amalgam of styles inspired by materials, patterns, textures and colors from a smorgasbord of different cultures across the globe from Antarctica to Zanzibar. These warm, human ‘Roots Vibes’ fashions are reactions to the often hard-edged and overly pretentious hi-tech modern lifestyles, bearing witness to a welcome revival in the belief of good old human values.

Bold prints are the order of the day, but nothing is written, it’s up to your tastes and what look you want to go for. For me the safari flavor is one I find especially appealing, not animal prints - save that for the accessories, but Katharine ‘African Queen’ Hepburn sophistication – cotton desert shorts or slacks with wedge-heeled espadrilles and fitted linen military shirts in pastels. Colors are essentially neutral and earthy with bleached out whites and grays, and as is the case for most fashions this season pastel tones like café crème, silver peony, tarragon and golden apricot.

Tribal clothing styles are as eclectic as their multi-cultural foundations and the organic fabrics and materials used: cottons, linen, flax leather, silk, satin and hemp. Organic materials play an especially strong role in the jewelry. Add handmade natural gemstone jewelry such as Shiva shell earrings, mother of pearl rings, and of course wood bangles in abundance. Silver, one of the key color tendencies that pops-up everywhere this season, should be your jewelry base; multi-layered silver bangles are especially good for the Tribal look.

The futurist style is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the earthy Tribal and Boho styles. It is also one of the most daring trends to come out this summer. Vogue dubbed it: Space Odyssey, inspired by Kubric’s 2001 movie and David Bowie’s glam-rock Ziggy Stardust. These clothes have a futuristic hard edge, an 80s touch with a twist of punk-rock attitude.

As a complete look this is definitely not for Walmart on a Monday afternoon, it’s high shine and high-octane glamour using amongst other standard materials foil and Perspex! But that doesn’t mean you can’t use elements of these shiny silver metallic materials as belts, shoes, accessories and jewelry in day-to-day wear.

It goes without saying that silver jewelry is a must for this style. Go for geometric shaped silver jewelry for that futuristic look: stars, squares, circles and oblongs. Choose plain unadorned hammered cuff-bracelets, charms and hoop earrings. If you want to include some gemstone jewelry, try white Shiva shell and multicolored mother of pearl inlay, which are consistent with both the Tribal and this ‘Barbarella’ futurist style.

Colors & Accessory Tips

Pastels: Yellow is big this summer, sky blue and golden apricot too. Balance with neutrals.
Patterns: Oversized big polka dots, bold floral, Gingham, animal print - include some humorous personality in your get ups!
Skirts: particularly long white ones with lacy ruffles.
Mini Dresses: 60’s styling don’t be afraid to show those legs off!
Wedge Espadrilles and Platforms: Great with shorts and minis.
Hair bands: Wide and bright or slender and feminine.
Silver Accessories: Shiny glittering handbags– Bling it up!
Bold Jewelry: One large item or an assortment of smaller ones bunched as one - big wooden bangles, layered and cuff silver bracelets and beads.
Jewels & Gems: Bling-Bling natural gems and crystals, blue and yellow topaz is a favorite.

So there it is, my message going out to all the ‘Not So’ beautiful women past their expiration dates with little hope of return, is this…It’s never too late! So get online and start shopping for those summer deals now, and feel like a million for a couple of bucks!!


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Written by Silver Fox for SilverShake, an online retailer of summer jewelry fashions for 2007 and sterling silver jewelry at wholesale prices. Purchase today and get silver jewelry worth up to $60...Free!

Sterling Silver Jewelry: Etymology Of Amethyst Part II

The ancient Hebrew word for Amethyst was ‘Ahlamah,’ this was derived from the word ‘Halom’ meaning ‘To Dream.’ There can be little doubt that this etymology shows a strong spiritual link between the gem and its believed powers to create visions.

In the same way the Greek ‘Amethystos’ was derived from words associated with the gems powers to prevent intoxication: ‘A,’ meaning ‘Not,’ + ‘Methyskein,’ meaning ‘Make drunk.’ This last word was derived from ‘Methys,’ meaning ‘Wine.’ The Greek compound of these words became ‘Amethystos’ which later was interpreted in Latin as ‘Amethystus,’ ‘Ametiste’ in Old French and finally ‘Amethyst’ in Middle English.

Although the exact beginning of the word Amethyst, and its connection to wine and curing drunkenness, cannot be pinpointed it must have been somewhere prior to 300 B.C. and the Septuagint who used the Greek ‘Amethystos,’ in their translation of the Old Testament. The association of Amethyst to wine may well have originated from this classical Greek tale of Bacchus, also known as Dionysus god of ecstasy, wine and the vine.

“The god Bacchus, offended at some neglect that he had suffered, was determined to avenge himself, and declared that the first person he should meet, when he and his train passed along, should be devoured by his tigers. Fate willed it that this luckless mortal was a beautiful and pure maiden named Amethyst, who was on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. As the ferocious beasts sprang toward her, she sought the protection of the goddess, and was saved from a worse fate by being turned into a pure white stone. Recognizing the miracle and repenting of his cruelty, Bacchus poured the juice of the grape as a libation over the petrified body of the maiden, thus giving to the stone the beautiful violet hue that so charms the beholder's eye.”

In the first century A.D. Pliny the ‘Elder’, author of the world’s first encyclopedia ‘Natural History’ gives a more practical origin and meaning behind Amethysts name: “The name which these stones* (Pliny believed there were four types of Amethyst) bear, originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, which, after closely approaching the color of wine, passes off into a violet without being fully pronounced; or else, according to some authorities, in the fact that in their purple there is something that falls short of a fiery color, the tints fading off and inclining to the color of wine.”

Next Pliny continues on Amethysts’ supposed curative powers: “The falsehoods of the magicians would persuade us that these stones are preventive of inebriety, and that it is from this that they have derived their name… statements which, in my opinion, they cannot have committed to writing without a feeling of contempt and derision for the rest of mankind.”

Some two thousand years later J.F. Kunz, chief mineralogist for Tiffany’s, in his book ‘The Curious Lore Of Precious Stones’ gives a less skeptical and very credible reasoning behind Amethysts name and associated powers: “From the various descriptions of this stone given by ancient writers, it appears that one of the varieties was probably the purple almandine or Indian garnet, and it is not improbable that we have here the reason for the name amethyst and for the supposed virtue of the stone in preserving from drunkenness. For if water were poured into a vessel made of a reddish stone, the liquid would appear like wine, and could nevertheless be drunk with impunity.”

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!

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Sterling Silver Jewelry: The Ancient Etymology Of Sapphire

The ancestry of the word Sapphire is obscured by thousands of years of etymological growth, and its roots entangled with names used to describe other gemstones both ancient and modern. Although it surfaces in many of mankind’s earliest texts, it is probable that what many of the ancients in Europe and the Near East recorded as being Sapphire is now what we call lapis lazuli. To make matters even more complicated, the gem that ancients referred to as Oriental Amethyst was probably the gem that we know as Sapphire...

The modern English word Sapphire originates from the Latin ‘Sapphirus’, which in turn is derived from the Greek ‘Sappheiros.’ The Greek word ‘Sappheiros’ originated from ancient Hebrew texts and their word ‘Sappir’ meaning precious stone. It is quite possible that this Hebrew term was introduced into the Greek language as a direct result of the translation of the Bible’s Old Testament, which was translated from Judaic and Aramaic into Greek in Ptolemaic Alexandria circa 300 B.C. Written and compiled from 1500 B.C. to 90 A.D., the Bible’s old and new testaments provide us with what is perhaps the earliest written record of the Hebrew word ‘Sappir’. It appears in the Bible’s oldest book, the Book of Job, chapter 28 verse 6 which dates from approximately 1400 B.C: “The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.”


From beginning to end, the two books of the Bible include passages that draw parallels between the glinting stars in the blue firmament of the heavens and the Sapphire. However, as most gemologists and etymologists agree the description of ‘Job’s’ gem containing “…dust of gold”, does not describe the physical properties of what we call Sapphire.

This corundum conundrum is further compounded in the works of the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, successor to Alexander the Greats' tutor Aristotle, and the world’s first mineralogist, who in 314 BC wrote: "…the sapphirus, is speckled as if with gold". A similar observation was made some three hundred years later in 77 A.D. by ‘Pliny the Elder’, who wrote the world’s first encyclopedia entitled ‘Natural History’. In chapter 37 of the ninth book Pliny states: "…for the Saphirrus also glittereth with markes and prickes of gold." Both of these descriptions provide almost irrefutable evidence that the ‘Sapphirus’ of the ancients with its golden properties was not our Sapphire, but what we now call lapis lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli, translated from Latin as ‘Stone of Azure’, was a prolific gemstone found in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian burial sites dating as far back as 3000 B.C. Lapis Lazuli fits the ancient gemstone descriptions of Sapphire because in its normal state it contains particles of a mineral called Iron Pyrites. This mineral is also known as ‘Fools Gold’, because of its close resemblance and subsequent confusion with gold.

Ironically, the answer to our quest for Sapphire’s earliest roots may lie in the same book by Pliny. However, it lies in an earlier chapter that describes one of the four varieties of a gem variety that was known to the ancients as Indian or Oriental Amethyst. Pliny states: “… A third stone (Variety of Oriental Amethyst) of this class is of a more diluted color, and is known as ‘Sapenos’…” Although, there is a lack of conclusive proof, Pliny’s description of ‘Sapenos’ as a type of bluish-violet Amethyst appears to be far closer both in etymological name, color and geographical location to what we now know as Sapphire. It is quite probable that Pliny's description of ‘Sapenos', as a type of Oriental Amethyst, was the birth of the term we now use for the modern Sapphire.

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Sterling Silver Jewelry: The Etymology Of Peridot

Used as an item of adornment from more than 2300 years, Peridot has been called amongst others: Pitdah, Topazion, Topazos, Topaz, Chrysolite, Olivine, Evening Emerald and Gem of the Sun.

In 300 B.C., a group of seventy-two rabbis called the Septuagint was commissioned by the Greek Pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy II, to translate ancient Hebrew texts into Greek. These manuscripts were included into the library of Alexandria, and became known as the Old Testament.

According to the Septuagint, the Hebrew word ‘Pitdah’ featured in these texts could be translated as Topazion: the Greek word for bright green gems named after their source the Island of Topazion. Today, this Island is known as Zabargad and is a reputed ancient source for Peridot. In 1611 A.D., two thousand years later, Topazion was translated into English in the King James Old Testament as Topaz. For these reasons alone, our Peridot was known for more than two millenniums as Topaz. But what of the actual word Peridot and its etymological roots?

The origin of the word Peridot itself is unclear, but one thing is sure, the term was not in existence before the 1st Century A.D. In what is perhaps the world’s first encyclopedia, the famous Roman historian Pliny clearly referred to a bright green gem from the Island of Zabargad as 'Topazion' or ‘Topazos’. In fact this term was used to denote Peridot up until the fall of the Roman Empire. However, during Pliny’s time it was not uncommon that gemstones received more than one name, and that unrelated gems share names in common.

One such generic appendage was ‘Paederos’ (Greek for: ‘Beautiful Youth’), or the later version of ‘Pederote,’ (Latin: pronounced Ped-or-oat): employed by Pliny to denote amongst others amethyst and opal. In fact the less discerning Roman public used ‘Pederote’ to refer to most good-looking gems.

Towards the end of the Roman Empire, Western Europe fell to the barbarians, but in the Near East Roman culture survived within the Byzantine Empire. Under the Byzantines, words and languages bequeathed by the previous Greek and Roman cultures were continued. Similarly art and culture prospered, especially the skills of the lapidaries. However, soon enough the East became the envy of the West, and under the pious concept of reuniting Christendom with the West, the crusades began. France, at the fore of the eight crusades taking place between the 10th and the 12th Centuries, was represented in the Holy Lands by the Templar Knights.

During the two centuries the Templars amassed great wealth, returning to Europe with their newly acquired booty of precious metals, jewelry and gemstones: amongst which, was a comparitvley unknown golden green gemstone called ‘Pederote.’

It was during the crusades of the medieval period that a perversion of the word ‘Pederote’ resurfaced. It appeared in the French book ‘Les Lapidaries Français,’ written sometime between 1100 and 1250 A.D. The ‘Lapidaire Français,' was written specifically for the use by the educated Norman aristocracy, who also occupied England at the time. The book outlined 60 gems giving their medicinal value, magical properties and moral significations: one of the featured gems was the ‘Pedoretés’ (pronounced Peh-door-ray). The first recorded instance of this word in popular use by the aristocracy appears in a 11th Century message written by the French lord, Mont Cassin de Solinus, where he uses a word to describe a green gemstone: ‘Perodote’ (pronounced Peh-roh-doh).

However, comparing Solinus' later ‘Perodote' (Peh-roh-doh) with the earlier ‘Lapidaire Français' ‘Pedoretés' (Peh-door-ray), we can hear and see that there has been a reversal of the second and third syllable. In linguistics this is called a ‘Metathesis': a phenomenon where two sounds appearing in particular order in one word, overtime will occur in the reverse order in the same word. French etymologists from the ‘Académie Français’ believe that this explains the shift in the two words.

The excerpt above was taken from a later book ‘Lapidaire Des Pierres Gravées’ documenting the etymology of Peridot in France from the 13th Century onwards. It gives Peridot’s name during the 13th Century as ‘Peridol’ (pronounced Peh-rii-dole), and as ‘Peridon’ (pronounced Peh-rii-dohn) during the later 14th Century. Translated it reads:

Peridon (Peridol) [Peridot gemstone, also called green-yellowish olivine. ‘A gem called peridon enclosed in gold.’ xx sols t, (invoice of the Duke of Berry, year 1416.)- viii ‘gemstones of which there were a grenas (garnet), a lopue, an ametiste (amethyst) and a peridol (peridot).’ [invoice of the Duke of Anjou year 1360.] ”

As mentioned before, the Norman French occupied England during this period, and the aristocracy imposed their language upon their English subjects. This greatly influenced the development of the English language: causing Old French words to be assimilated into the Middle English language. However, Peridot wasn’t the only alias to be appropriated to the green gemstone from these sources.

Up until the 19th Century A.D., another Greek word was also used to denote Peridot and gemstones similar in aspect: Chrysolite. This originally came from the Greek ‘Khrysolithos’, ‘Khryso’ meaning golden and ‘Lithos’ meaning stone. It transformed into ‘Chrysolithus’ in Latin, and ‘Crisolite’ in Old French, eventually becoming ‘Chrysolite’ in Middle English.

The French poet Philippe de Thaon wrote the following excerpt in 1112 A.D.: ‘Crisolite ure celeste, qui ourent out vie terrestre.’ Translated the passage reads: ‘Chrysolite the celestial happiness, which they had with the terrestrial life.’ However, there is no conclusive proof to indicate that he was talking of our Peridot, as Chrysolite was also used to describe the majority of all yellow to yellow-green transparent gemstones including: Topaz, prehnite, apatite, sapphire, chrysoberyl, beryl, tourmaline, and andradite garnet. By today’s standards such an inaccurate, generic term is disused.

A similar term of equally broad connotations was also appropriated to Peridot: Olivine. This originated from the Greek ‘Elaiw’ or ‘Elai’, transforming to the Latin ‘Olva’ and eventually to the French ‘Olivine’. In 17th Century France Olivine was a jeweler’s term for a variety of Chrysolite, today it is a term used to denote one of the most common mineral types on the Earth’s surface, a magnesium/iron silicate in which the ratio of magnesium and iron vary between the two mineral extremities: Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) and Fayalite (Fe2SiO4). Peridot is actually a rare sub-species of the Olivine group: Forsterite-Olivine. Forsterite, the mineralogical term used to denote the Olivine species of Peridot, was named in honor of the German mineralogist J. R. Forster.

It is important to state that the etymological theories on these pages are speculative, and should not be taken as gospel.

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Written for SilverShake, an online retailer of silver peridot jewelry and sterling silver jewelry at wholesale prices. Purchase today and get silver jewelry worth up to $60...Free!

Sterling Silver Jewelry: Pearl Jewelry Buyers Guide

Pearls embody both classic elegance and fun; here are some pointers and tips you should consider before buying Pearl jewelry. Fair skins, blonde and redheads, are well matched to silvery-white and rosy hued Pearls. Tanned and dark skin tones are suited to creamy and golden colored Pearls.

Personal Appearance: Customize your Pearl Necklace to your proportions. If you have a long neck accentuate your feline grace with a single or multi-strand pearl choker or pearl collier, this is also the classic length of a bride’s Pearl wedding strand. If your neck is shorter, dare to shine and think about a longer strand such as a matinee or opera for a twist of 1950s Hollywood glamour. For a true statement of flapper-girl power, stand out and impress admirers with a touch of drama by steeping yourself in an elaborate Pearl rope necklace.

Clothes: The Pearl Choker and Pearl Collier are perfect for the off-the-shoulder grace of wedding gowns. They are also complemented by the plunging décolletages of evening gowns and "V" neck sweaters. Pearl Colliers and matinees are the essential elements to both the younger and older woman’s wardrobe. They are suited to everyday sports and business wear providing a classic, timeless elegance to every kind of outfit and every style of neckline. The longer lengths of the Pearl Opera and Rope Strands are the perfect accompaniment to low or high necks, and look great with suits and blouses with "Constructed" necks.

Start you Pearl wardrobe with a basic set, ‘Parure’, of matching necklace, ring, earrings or bracelet. Your local jeweler can update and lengthen your Pearl Necklace later so choose the length that most suites all occasions first.

The Collier or Collar Pearl Strand
Length: 12 to13 inches.
The Pearl Collier is made up of more than one strand of uniform Pearls that fit cozily around the base of the neck. This is the long-established ‘Coming-of-Age’ gift from the mother-in-law to the daughter. One of the oldest lengths of Pearl Necklace it suites every age, adding class and finesse to everything from sweaters to suits.

The Choker Pearl Strand
Length: 14 to16 inches.
The Pearl Choker is made up of one strand with large uniform sized Pearls that sit cozily around the neck sitting on the collarbone. The choker is an essential element in the wardrobe of the elegant woman with class and style, it is also a length suitable for children as its not too tight allowing for room to grow. The Pearl choker is particularly fashionable at the moment, uniting Victorian retro with today’s catwalk chic.

The Princess Pearl Strand
Length: 17 to19 inches.
The Pearl Princess Necklace is a perfect length if you ever consider attaching a pendant to your Pearl necklace. One of the most popular lengths the princess is well suited to crew and high necklines, but can equally add a frame to a plunging neckline.


The Matinee Pearl Strand
Length: 20 to 24 inches.
The Pearl Matinee Necklace, an unrestricting length that rests well on any neckline, is a little longer than a collier and slightly shorter than the Opera. Offering both elegant sophistication and casual styling the matinee looks great with sports or office clothes, with a sweater or the classic white blouse.

The Opera Pearl Strand
Length: 28 to 36 inches.
The Pearl Opera Strand falls to the breastbone and possesses a grace encapsulated in a single strand of Pearls, usually no less than 7 mm in diameter. A perfect accoutrement to low or high neck-lined blouses or adding a stunning offset to a suit, this jewelry is economy in business class transforming from a free-hanging single pearl strand to a multi pearl strand choker.

The Sautoir or Rope Pearl Strand
Length: 40 inches and over.
The Lariat Pearl Strand
Length: At least 48 inches.
The Pearl Rope, queen of versatility, was the preferred length of Pearl Necklace by the French haute-couture designer Coco Chanel. It is the essence of the emancipated women capturing the freedom of the 20s flapper girl and the 60s flower child. It is the complete jewel, an authentic ‘must have’, comprising of several twisted parallel or graduated strands generally embellished with clasps placed along the length, which transform it into bracelets and necklace of various combinations.

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Sterling Silver Jewelry: The Origins Of Topaz

The 300 B.C. translation of the Old Testament featured a gemstone called ‘Topazion,’ which appeared in Exodus and the breastplate of Aaron, this gem was in fact peridot. The later 1611 A.D. ‘King James Version’ of the Old Testament, translated ‘Topazion’ as ‘Topaz.’ However, at the time of the 1611 translation, ‘Topaz’ was used to denote any yellow colored gemstone, irrespective of the different chemical properties. Although these texts give us proof of Topaz’s ancient etymology, they don’t give us the answer to where and when the Topaz that we know today was first discovered.

The Renaissance, beginning in the late 14th century, spelt a revival in classical Greece, Rome and the preceding cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. These archaic cultures based many of their fundamental idea systems around the precursor of modern science: Alchemy. By today’s standards, alchemy is regarded as a mystic, esoteric, and slightly immoral art. The tainted public image of alchemy is due in part to later religious propaganda, and elitist secret societies formed around alchemy such as the Rosicruianism (pictured right) and the Free Masons.

In spite of this, we owe the discovery of many substances and processes that are the mainstay of modern physical, chemical, biological knowledge to alchemists. Where would we be without Isaac Newton, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Boyle, Bacon and Thomas Browne: all devoted alchemists. Alchemists were the high priests of the ‘Modern Age’ transforming the artistic, scientific, religious and political landscape of Europe. They provided the framework for a grand new design of understanding, based on rational materialism: Modern science. In 1669, Rasmus Bartholin discovered the double refraction of light rays in calcite, prompting Thomas Young to propose the theory that different light sources travel in waves at different frequencies. With the advent of these more exacting processes, mineralogy became more defined, and the true nature of a mineral was understood more by its chemical composition and crystalline form than its external characteristics.

Later, at the beginning of the 17th Century, the German mineralogist and director of mines at Freiberg in Saxony, Johann Friedrich Henckel published a book of his teachings. Writing on the chemical properties of minerals in his book ‘Pyritologie.’ Henckel was the first to recognize Topaz, as the mineral that we know today. Henckel sourced his Topaz from the deposits of Schneckenstein, in the Voigtland of Saxony in East Germany. This was the most important source of Topaz up until the 1730 discovery of deposits in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerias. Henckels Topaz was further identified and assayed by Andreas Marggraf who in 1776 wrote the book ‘Findings on the Topaz of Saxony.’ Marggraf was the director of Physics at the Berlin Academy, where he had become famous for numerous discoveries including formic acid, he had also learnt assaying alongside Henckel in Freiberg.

The following excerpt, taken from ‘Findings on the Topaz of Saxony,’ gives an overview of Henckel and Marggraf’s Topaz: “This gem is found in the “Vogtland’, on the ‘Schneckenberg’ near the hills of the ‘Tonneberg’ two miles from ‘Auerbach’: We see quite a lot of it in the deep fissures of a very hard rock, and it is found mixed with a type of yellow schist and quartz. The interior structure/texture is compact but with thin leaf-like layers, which this gem has in common with diamond. It has a prismatic structure at four unequal angles, it is hard with a bright sparkle.”

There can be little question that this description corresponds to the Topaz of today, which is found in association with granite rocks, within pegmatite veins and in association with schist rocks. Topaz’s crystals form in the rhombic system of crystallization, and are prismatic in shape. Topaz possesses a perfect basal cleavage, and is ‘foliated’ (leaf like layers) which makes it brittle if cut in the wrong direction. In spite of this Topaz is one of the hardest minerals known to man, second only to corundum and diamond. Most Topaz is transparent to translucent with a vitreous glass-like luster, exhibiting strong brilliance.

Towards the end of the 1700’s numerous mineral substances were
analyzed by Scheele, Kiaproth, Vauquelin, Kirwan, Berzelius, Rose
and other chemists, and many new mineral-species and chemical elements discovered. In 1819, the principles of differentiation between isomorphic and dimorphic crystal structures were expressed by E. Mitscherlich, who dispelled the many difficulties encountered in defining different mineral species. Later in 1820, classing a mineral’s characteristics became even more precise with Frederich Mohs scale of 1-10 hardness, starting with Talc: 1, and ending with Diamond: 10. All these different systems of mineral classification gave birth to the exactitude of modern mineralogy, by which we determine a gems identity.

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Written for SilverShake, an online retailer of amethyst silver jewelry and sterling silver jewelry at wholesale prices. Purchase today and get silver jewelry worth up to $60...Free!

Sterling Silver Jewelry: Silver & The Seven Days

Seven days of creation, seventh heaven, seven seas, seven continents, seven wonders, seven pillars of wisdom, seven heavenly virtues, lucky seven, the magnificent seven, seven up, seven eleven, …it seems as if the number seven surrounds us.

Over 7000 years ago, after the discoveries of Silver and the first ‘Seven Metals Of Antiquity’, there existed a culture of visionaries who lived in the Mesopotamian city of Babylon, they were known as the Chaldaean oracles. The Chaldaeans were fundamentally alchemists believing ‘As it is above, so it is below’.

According to the Chaldaeans everything was inextricably linked. They believed the interpretation of events on earth, of men's characters and dispositions, were made possible by observing the movements of the planets. We have come to know their prophecies as astrology. While observing the motions of the stars above, the Chaldaeans realized the existence of order in the procession of the planets in the sky, they translated this order into numbers We have come to know their mathematical prophecies as astronomy.

Expressing the movements in numbered measurements the Chaldaeans developed the 12-month ‘Solar’ calendar, conceptualized the twelve signs of the zodiac, this in turn led to the establishment of the two 12 hour divisions of night and day. They went on to establish the monthly period, derived from the 28-day Lunar cycle with each period possessing it’s own full Moon. One theory is that the Chaldaeans based this time period on the female reproductive cycle. This may also explain why the Moon has always had a female identity being governed over by female deities of fertility.

Being alchemists the Chaldaeans based the existence of time on Earth upon the movements of the stars and the seven visible planets above. The seven visible planets were the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto weren’t discovered until the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries A.D. respectively.The Chaldeans already associated each of the seven planets with the names of the Babylonian gods: Moon = Nanna, Jupiter = Marduk, Venus = Ishtar, Saturn = Ninib, Mercury = Nebo, Mars = Nergal, Sun = Shamash, they then connected each planet and its god to a designated time period. These systems were later adopted and developed by the Greeks, and subsequently the Romans, who after replacing the original Babylonian deities with their own assigned each of the seven visible planetary bodies with a day.

At this later time Mediterranean cultures, deemed pagan under their Roman satraps, calculated the sequence of the days of the week based on the planets in outermost order to the Earth starting with the furthest Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and finally the closest the Moon. This procession of planets was then numbered from 1 to 7 and run repeatedly through a 24-hour period, the name of each day came from the planet assigned to the first hour of each 24 hour period:

1=Saturn, 2=Jupiter, 3=Mars, 4=Sun, 5=Venus, 6=Mercury, 7=Moon 8=Saturn, 9=Jupiter, 10=Mars, 11=Sun, 12=Venus, 13=Mercury, 14=Moon 15=Saturn, 16=Jupiter, 17=Mars, 18=Sun, 19=Venus, 20=Mercury, 21=Moon 22=Saturn, 23=Jupiter, 24=Mars....1=Sun, 2=Venus, 3=Mercury, 4=Moon 5=Saturn, 6=Jupiter, 7=Mars, 8=Sun, 9=Venus, 10=Mercury, 11=Moon 12=Saturn, 13=Jupiter, 14=Mars, 15=Sun, 16=Venus, 17=Mercury, 18=Moon 19=Saturn, 20=Jupiter, 21=Mars, 22=Sun, 23=Venus, 24=Mercury....1=Moon, 2=Saturn, 3=Jupiter, 4=Mars, 5=Sun, 6=Venus, 7=Mercury, 8=Moon 9=Saturn, 10=Jupiter, 11=Mars, 12=Sun, 13=Venus, 14=Mercury, 15=Moon 16=Saturn, 17=Jupiter, 18=Mars, 19=Sun, 20=Venus, 21=Mercury, 22=Moon 23=Saturn, 24=Jupiter....1=Mars, 2=Sun, 3=Venus, 4=Mercury, 5=Moon 6=Saturn, 7=Jupiter, 8=Mars, 9=Sun, 10=Venus, 11=Mercury, 12=Moon 13=Saturn, 14=Jupiter, 15=Mars, 16=Sun, 17=Venus, 18=Mercury, 19=Moon 20=Saturn, 21=Jupiter, 22=Mars, 23=Sun, 24=Venus.....1=Mercury, 2=Moon 3=Saturn, 4=Jupiter, 5=Mars, 6=Sun, 7=Venus, 8=Mercury, 9=Moon 10=Saturn, 11=Jupiter, 12=Mars, 13=Sun, 14=Venus, 15=Mercury, 16=Moon 17=Saturn, 18=Jupiter, 19=Mars, 20=Sun, 21=Venus, 22=Mercury, 23=Moon 24=Saturn....1=Jupiter, 2=Mars, 3=Sun, 4=Venus, 5=Mercury, 6=Moon 7=Saturn, 8=Jupiter, 9=Mars, 10=Sun, 11=Venus, 12=Mercury, 13=Moon 14=Saturn, 15=Jupiter, 16=Mars, 17=Sun, 18=Venus, 19=Mercury, 20=Moon 21=Saturn, 22=Jupiter, 23=Mars, 24=Sun....1=Venus, 2=Mercury, 3=Moon 4=Saturn, 5=Jupiter, 6=Mars, 7=Sun, 8=Venus, 9=Mercury, 10=Moon 11=Saturn, 12=Jupiter, 13=Mars, 14=Sun, 15=Venus, 16=Mercury, 17=Moon 18=Saturn, 19=Jupiter, 20=Mars, 21=Sun, 22=Venus, 23=Mercury, 24=Moon.

If you look at the planet assigned to the first hour of each day, you notice that the planets come in this order: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. At the time of Christ, when most of the Mediterranean area was under Roman rule, Saturday with its designated planet Saturn, was the day of rest making Sunday the first day of the week.

However, this pantheon of planets and their names bares little resemblance to the English language’s 7 days of the week. The Romans, who had unofficially adopted this ‘Pagan’ order of days, termed the first day of the week ‘Dies Solis’ which translated into ‘Sun’s Day,’ which became Sunday. They also termed the second day ‘Dies Lunae’ or ‘Moon’s Day,’ which transformed into Monday. And finally, the seventh day ‘Dies Saturni’ meaning ‘Saturn’s Day,’ now Saturday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all derived later in northern Europe, from the Teutonic and Nordic tribes and their gods Tiw, Odin, Thor and Freyja, who spawned the Anglo Saxon language.

During these ancient periods, civilizations from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Greece venerated the seven visible planets and their respective deities to such an extent that all were allocated seven metals. 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.

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!
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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!

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Sterling Silver Jewelry: Deities Of The Silver Moon

The roots of the Moon’s appropriation to femininity, and the subsequent connection of Silver to them both lie in the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, once home to the world’s most advanced civilizations during the Neolithic period.

Observing the Moon’s waxing and waning within a 28-day cycle, the Mesopotamians were the first to connect the synchronicity between our sister planet’s movements and the female reproductive cycle. This led to the Moon symbolizing fertility, and its eventual appropriation with the Mesopotamian god and goddess, Nanna and Ningal.

Ningal and Nanna were the patron deities of one of the most important cities in southern Mesopotamia, Ur. They resided in the temple called Ikinugal, meaning the 'House of Moonlight’ and were often represented by a crescent Moon shape. Archeologists believe that this shape was not only used to signify the crescent Moon, but also the shape of the womb and equally the horns of a bull, a sacred symbol of fertility in Mesopotamia and the successive cultures of Greece and Rome.

Although the Mesopotamians had already recognized the seven planets, assigning each one a god or goddess, it was the Egyptians who were the first to appropriate the planets and their deities with metals, starting with gold and Silver. Alchemists in Egypt represented gold in hieroglyphs as a circle, the sign of perfection, and appropriating it with the Sun and its singular ruling male deity: Amun. Silver was symbolized by a half-circle, secondary to gold’s full circle, and represented by the moon and a multitude of inferior female goddesses including Isis. These gender-biased associations may also provide part of the answer as to why silver has always been perceived secondary to gold.

All seven visible planets and their gods were finally associated with the seven known metals in the classical Greek period. For instance, Iron used for the fabrication of instruments of warfare, became associated with the male god of war Mars. Whereas pliant copper used in ornamentation and jewelry, was appropriated to Venus. Both these metals ancient alchemic signs are still used today to denote male and female gender.

The seven metals were highly revered in Greek culture, not only being identified with the gods and planets themselves, but were also used to symbolize their generations. First, born from Chaos, came the Titan Gods. The Titans marked the ‘Golden Age’ of classical Greek mythology; the succeeding generation of gods were the Olympians who gave rise to the ‘Silver Age.’

Born from the Titan’s ‘Golden Age,’ the first Greek goddess of the Moon was known as Selene. Although she survived the Titans she wasn’t fully accepted in the Greek Olympian pantheon, and never became one of the twelve great gods and goddesses of the Olympian ‘Silver Age’. Interestingly, Selene as is the case for many ancient Greek deities, gave her name to a metal: Selenium. A metal, similar to the tales of Selene, whose properties change in relation to the density of light.

Selene, daughter of Hyperion and Theia, was the sister of Eos the goddess of the dawn and Helios the Olympian sun god. It was said that everyday Selene bathed in the sea waiting for her brother Helios to complete his journey across the sky. Selene represented the evening and the night, and in this sense was often depicted as a young woman with a lily-white complexion. She traveled across the night sky in a Silver chariot pulled by two horses carrying a torch and adorned with a diadem of a half moon on her head.

Selene, a romantic favorite with painters and poets, was known for her many ‘liaisons d’amour’. Two of her most notorious affairs were with Pan and Zeus. However, Selene’s most famous love affair was with a handsome mortal called Endymion, who she visited each night kissing him to sleep. Selene begged Zeus to give Endymion anything he wished, hopping that he would ask for immortality, but Endymion was vain and instead asked Zeus to preserve his good looks for eternity. Zeus complied, putting the young man in eternal sleep.

During both Greek and Roman Empires the goddesses of our sister Moon, much like the planet itself, had dark and light sides and were often represented in an almost schizophrenic manner. This symbolic significance becomes clearer through understanding the physical nature of the Moon and its affect on the Earth. The different cycles of the Moon were represented by different goddesses and their attributes. Selene, known to the Romans as Luna, was the ‘Waxing Moon' fertile and full she was the mother goddess pregnant with life. Artemis, known as Diana to the Romans, was the virgin goddess of the hunt reflecting the qualities of the ‘New Moon'. Hecate, Trivia to the Romans, was the goddess of the waning or Moonless night, cloaked in mysticism with the power to heal or transform.

As mentioned before the Romans had their equivalent of Selene in the form of Luna. Appearing in much the same way with a crescent Moon on her head, and driving a silver two-horse chariot, Luna was also connected to the Moons changing faces. Luna could be kind as much as she could be crazed; it is from the latter that we derive the term “Moonstruck’, ‘Lunatic’ and ‘Lunacy’. The etymological roots of Lunatic and its appropriation to the goddess’ name are related to bi-polar disorder or cyclothymia: an excited mental state where moods can be altered by light intensity.

For the Romans the Moon's dark side was symbolized by the goddess Trivia, goddess of the crossroads said to appear when the ebony Moon shone. Trivia was often depicted as having three heads: a dog, a snake and a horse and was usually seen with two ghost hounds. Often misunderstood as the goddess of witchcraft or evil, Trivia did many heroic deeds including the rescue of Persephone, Demeter's daughter, from Hades in the Underworld. Trivia was said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction from this the Romans gave her the name Trivia.

Understanding the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman view of the Moon it is clear to see how it and silver appropriated a female persona. During the height of the Greek Empire, the Moon it’s goddesses and the connection to silver became so important that they were immortalized into one of the most amazing feats of the ancients: The Temple Of Artemis: One Of The 7 Ancient Wonders.

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!

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Sterling Silver Jewelry: The 7th Wonder The Temple Of Artemis

The ‘Seven Ancient Wonders’ were the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Hanging Gardens at Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse at Alexandria and finally the temple at Ephesus in Asia Minor.

The Anatolian Temple at Ephesus, located near the modern city of Izmir in Turkey, was one of the most beautiful architectural structures ever built. Originally constructed in the 7th century B.C. under the patronage of the immensely rich Lydian king Croesus, the marble temple was built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, fertility and the Moon, Artemis. The interior of the temple was lavishly furnished with bronze statues, sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon.

Croesus’ intentions behind the building of the temple were not only related to the Goddess Artemis herself, known as Cybele to the Anatolians, but also to strengthen ties between his Lydian kingdom and the expanding Greek empire. Both countries were rich; Lydia from the wealth of electrum in the Paktolas River and the Silver laden Tarsus Mountains and Greece from the Laurian Silver mines on which the expansion of Athens was founded. Furthermore, under the reign of Croesus the first coin, the Lydian Trite, used as monetary exchange was introduced, an idea the king shared with the Greek Solon who later formed the weight standards for the Athenian silver drachmas.

The temple of Artemis, much like the Hephaisteion of Athens built in honor of Hephaestus the god of the forge and jewelry, was used both as a place of religious worship and a marketplace. It was tradition at this time to share wealth with the gods, so the temple itself was strategically placed at the end of the royal trade routes that stretched all the way from southeastern Europe to the Indus valley and beyond in India. King, Queen, Merchant and Tourist pilgrims came from the far reaches of the Earth to pay homage to the goddess Artemis, recent archeological excavations have shown evidence of artifacts from as far as Persia and India. These included gold and silver jewelry, ivory statuettes, and precious and semi-precious gemstones such as sapphire, garnet and lapis lazuli.

The healthy political and financial climate between Lydia and Greece deepened the already existing association between Artemis, or Cybele, the Moon and Silver. Artemis was of the ‘Silver Age’ of Olympian goddesses; she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. A symbol of fertility, and also mysteriously virgin, she was often depicted riding a silver chariot through the night sky, shooting arrows of silver moonlight to Earth below. She was the goddess of wild animals and was believed to roam mountains and forests with her nymphs hunting deers, lions and panthers killing them softly with her silver bow and arrows.

Artemis was a friend to mortals, dancing through the countryside in silver sandals and giving her divine protection to wild beasts and the very young. Greeks sometimes called her Cynthia after her birthplace on Mt. Kynthos on Delos. In the Odyssey (15.403) Odysseus is told a story of a wondrous island, Syria, where neither hunger nor old age exists. When the inhabitants of this island had reached the end of their lives as decreed by the Fates, Artemis would fly down and painlessly kill them with their silver bows.

On the night of 21 July 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name, that same night in Macedonia Alexander the Great was born. Plutarch the Greek historian wrote later: ‘Artemis was too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander and couldn’t send help to her threatened temple’. A few years later ‘en route’ to conquer the world, Alexander the Great offered to rebuild the destroyed temple, but Artemis’ temple wasn’t rebuilt until after his death in 323 BC. Surviving ensuing occupations by Romans and Goths, the temple eventually fell to Christianity when in 401 A.D. St John Chrysostom ordered the temple to be torn down.

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!
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