Why Silver Is More Precious Than Gold

You probably know that silver is used in both its pure form and as an alloy (sterling) in jewelry.

You also know that it’s been used for centuries as currency, mainly in the form of coins. Recently, there have even been commercials featuring celebrities touting the investment opportunities of silver.

What you may not know is that silver is soooo much more. In fact, it is the most versatile metal there is...and it quite possibly the most precious metal in the world.

There are currently 118 elements known to science. Of those, 91 are metals, and of those, only 4 are precious metals: silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Silver is the brightest, shiniest and most reflective of the precious metals. 

In the late 1820’s, a French theatrical artist named Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre began experimenting with silver salts, specifically silver nitrate and silver chloride. By 1839 he had developed a method to capture real-life images on copper plates, and thus was born the Daguerreotype photograph, and the world was changed forever.

Fast forward almost 60 years to 1895. German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen discovered that by using a electromagnetic radioactive artificial light he could expose and capture an image that penetrated soft tissue but not more dense materials like bone. He dubbed his radiographic photo the “X” Ray because although he knew his discovery was some sort of radiation, he didn’t know what kind, hence the “x.” In 1901 Rontgen was awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics. His discovery was a revolution for modern medicine.



X-rays aren’t the only way silver is used in medicine. It’s antibacterial properties have been used for centuries, and until the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940’s, silver was the most important agent used to fight infection.

If you’ve read this far, you might be wondering why I'm writing a middle-school-style science class book report on the history of silver and what it could possibly have to do with jewelry and my business...

Truth is, nothing. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned through hours of research about silver in the last month, and how it just might be the thing that saves a life.

In 2014, my horse Twinkie was attacked by a nest of yellow jackets and he got very, very sick. The attack wreaked havoc on his immune system. Today he is allergic to literally everything, and the allergies are so severe his lungs are scarred.

Twinkie was recently diagnosed with RAO-Recurrent Airway Obstruction, the equine equivalent of COPD in humans. He is only 12 years old, and now he will have to have a breathing treatment every day for the rest of his life, which could be over 15 years. Without it, he can’t breathe, he can’t eat, he can’t be ridden, and he has no quality of life.

So here’s the connection...

The medication that helps him breathe is Colloidal Silver, which is microscopic particles of silver suspended in liquid. The idea is that via a nebulizer (think human inhaler for asthma), the colloidal silver will help reduce inflammation in his trachea and lungs, and help ward off any potential infections.

So, not only is silver a beautiful shiny metal, an investment, and the way I make a living, it might possibly be the most important, precious metal ever to one of God’s most beautiful creatures.


                                       Odd how things come full circle, isn't it?                        

If any of you have experience using colloidal silver (or anything else) for inflammation, breathing difficulty and infection, especially in horses, please comment below.

For more really cool things (or useless trivia - you decide) about silver, click here.

And for those of you in the Parkersburg area, don’t forget Artoberfest Saturday, October 21st, 4:00 - 10:00pm. I’ll have some new designs, retired pieces, and some show specials. Hope to see you there! #MOVArtoberfest

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