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Sterling silver rings are great for yourself, or to give as a gift to that special someone – you can use a sterling silver ring to say 'I love you' or 'Thanks for being there'. Sterling silver rings come in a wide variety of simple, plain silver bands all the way through fancy, cz accented silver rings. You may even be able to get your favorite sterling silver ring engraved with a personal message!
Sterling silver rings are just one of the ways that we can see how far sterling silver has come. Silver jewelry dates back to ancient Egypt, and has been found in tombs there, as well as in ruins from Greece and Mesopotamia. Sterling silver rings, necklaces, and other intricate ornaments have been found all over Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa. Sterling silver as we know it is an alloy, composed of 92.5% silver, and 7.5% other metals, to add strength. Silver in this form has its origins in central Europe, in the late 12th century, as the popular form of coinage. From there, it quickly spread across Europe as the popular monetary form. Once sterling silver had spread as money, its uses grew – it became a sign of wealth, and so making jewelry from it, such as sterling silver rings, silver necklaces, and silver pins, showed your community just how rich you were.
Though silver jewelry had always been prized, jewelry made from the alloy sterling silver was much more durable, and would stand up to regular wear much better. Once people started making jewelry from sterling silver, items such as sterling silver rings simply became more and more ornate. Sterling silver wedding rings, which started off as plain bands of sterling silver, grew in popularity, and in variety. By the middle of the 16th and 17th centuries, these sterling silver rings were so popular that they were often engraved with lover's messages and given as tokens of love and devotion. These special rings are called poesy rings. A sterling silver poesy ring was given as a promise, or engagement ring, and then wedding ring would have been identical, but in gold.
Through the middle ages and up through the Renaissance, and the Victorian period, jewelry styles continued to grow and evolve, into scrolling sterling silver rings and brooches and sterling silver necklaces, ornamented with a growing variety of other gemstones and metals. Sterling silver jewelry has continued to evolve, even through today. Today's jewelry styles are an extensive collection and amalgam of styles and designs from the whole evolution of these accessories.
Today, sterling silver rings are a large part of our fashion world. Whether you want to wear a simple sterling silver band, or an ornate sterling silver ring with sparkling cubic zirconia, you're sure to find quite a number of silver rings that meet your needs. Sterling silver rings, as well as other pieces of sterling silver jewelry can be mass produced, reducing the cost of these beautiful items, while increasing their availability – making it easy to have enough jewelry to wear a different sterling silver ring (on one or more fingers) every day without breaking the bank! Sterling silver rings can even be engraved to mimic the original poesy rings of the Middle Ages, or to simply create your own personal message for yourself or someone you love.
Whether you're looking for a traditional style sterling silver band, or something trendy and new in a sterling silver cocktail ring, you're sure to have no problem finding choices. Sterling silver rings make great gifts – whether you have the ring engraved, or simply aim to match that quirky personal style of special person – and you're sure to please. With the look of more expensive white gold and platinum, you can buy (and add) more than twice as much pizzazz to your jewelry arsenal with sterling silver rings. Though, with so many to choose from, you may face a problem deciding which one works the best!
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