Similiar but not Claddagh ring & Silver
Not sure if this is the right forum but ... This is a semi jewelry question.
I have been looking for something similiar to the claddagh ring in meaning,
but that is not the actual claddagh ring. Does anyone know of any jewelry
which bears a similiar meaning of friendship and closeness?
Also, how long does silver, in terms of shine and polish, usually last? The
wear and tear includes outdoor and water sports, as well as exposure to the
regular household chemicals. What about "antiqued" silver? How can I tell
good quality silver? Or is that an oxymoron?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much in advance.
A gimmel ring would probably fit the bill. It's actually two rings
that combine to form a pair of clasping hands, I think its medieval
but I'm not too sure. You used to be able to get them at Past Times
in the UK, unfortunately I've lost my catalog so I can't give you the
address - maybe someone else out there can help?
Re your question about silver, my engagement ring is silver and I've
had it on for seven years and it still looks brand new.
What's a claddagh ring? I've looked in several dictionarys and
jewellery books with no success.
In what form? As jewellery, silver is a very variable metal insomuch
that it behaves differently with different people. With some people
it retains its white appearance and ages rather gracefully, with
others it can turn quite black. I've had several silver neck chains
that I have been asked to clean by people who have done nothing to
them except wear them. Some people are actually allergic to silver.
It is well known that the hydogen sulphide in eggs will heavily
discolour silver spoons.
Since silver is rather soft it tends to wear faster than carat gold,
but, on those people who don't react with it, the usual tiny
scratches from normal wear and tear tend to stabilise and present a
rather attractive white sheen that is unmatched by any other metal.
Antiqued silver is silver that has been exposed to various chemicals
in order to change its surface colour to, for example, gray, black,
brown, purple, crimson or green. The colour is very thin and is
fairly easy to abrade off with normal wear and tear, especially on
corners or along edges. This even occurs on pendants that only rub
against skin or clothing.
By 'good quality' silver I assume you mean an alloy with a high
silver content rather than a high quality item made of silver.
Hallmarked sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver, and hallmarked
britannia silver is 95.84% pure. If its not hallmarked, and good
indication can be obtained by the use of a non-destructive test where
a tiny drop of a chemical turns red when touched on silver. The more
intense the colour the more pure the silver. More details can be seen
in my reply to 'Small plaque on a pipe' in this