A Rose In Silver
If you want to send blooms that will last a lifetime, why not do it with rose silver flowers, instead of the real thing? With real roses both preserved and covered in silver, you now have the option of literally giving a gift that will last forever.
Sterling silver is actually 92.5 percent silver and the rest of it is made up with copper. It was in England in 1478, that sterling silver first became established as a standard. In the world of silvermaking, the metal was already being electroplated in the 1850s given its affordability over purchasing silver pieces or true silver.
The making of silver jewelry began 5000 years ago. Human graves from the Sumerian city of Ur dating back to 3000 BCE have been uncovered with silver jewelry found inside of them. In Anatolia, or Turkey as we know it today, the very first sources of mined silver was done in mines found there. It was the Chaldeans – in about 2500 BCE - who were the first people to start extracting silver from other ores. Advanced silversmithing was taking place in 1000 BCE by both North and South American Indians.
Around 100 years after silversmithing began with the Indians, Larium mines, which could be found around Athens, Greece, went on to become the greatest source for silver production over the next 1000 years. When 200 BCE rolled around, Chinese immigrants that arrived in Korea, brought their knowledge and techniques with them for working in silver.
The Indus Valley people in the first century AD made silver horns and drinking cups and closely resembled the same types of things made by the Hellens. During the T'ang Dynasty's rein in China, silver work became a major priority when it came to the arts in that era. Refined silvermaking techniques could be found being used in 900 AD in an area called Oaxaca, which we now know as Mexico. Silver mines in Spain also became important sources of silver in 1000 AD. At the same time, equally important silver mines had been developed in Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Rose silver flowers are handcrafted using a 40 step process in which a real rose is preserved and dipped in silver. With the careful handcrafting of each rose silver flower, you can be sure than no two pieces will ever be alike.
Sophia Grace is a collector of silver roses. If you are looking for sterling silver roses you can view a huge selection of roses at Plated Gold Roses.