The value of sterling silver is rising. Although it is currently hovering around $8-$9 per ounce and once was as low as $4 per ounce in 2001, silver has shown the ability to earn as it once topped $49 per ounce back in 1980. There is a resurgence in the interest in silver jewelry especially as more manufacturers such as Tiffany $ Co. focus more attention on their silver product lines. The quality of silver when coated with rhodium, a precious metal, can rival white gold in shine and sharpness.
Silver has been used for thousands of years in dining utensils, ornaments and as coinage in numerous monetary systems. In fact, the word silver can be translated in 14 different languages as money. Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals including copper. Its use is not widespread in all things electrical, however, due to its costliness and tendency to tarnish, although because of its high conductivity it is commonly found in computer parts. Silver has always played second fiddle to gold generally but there are a few societies in history such as ancient Egypt and the middle ages in Europe, where silver was considered more valuable than gold. Todays state of...