Ever since it was discovered silver, like gold, has been converted into gleaming artefacts of great splendour and beauty. Such symbols of wealth and power are collected for their superb workmanship, but smaller, more ornate pieces also have unique attraction. This is in part because silver has always been a precious metal. The intrinsic value of silver has had one undesirable effect, silver objects have long been regarded as recyclable and thousands of pieces have been lost over the centuries, melted down to finance wars, to cover up theft, or simply to make something more fashionable. |
|