The era of silver body jewelry started when people from medieval ages had a consideration that jewelry can also be worn by common man rather than just be used by the royal families of the time. At that time silver was believed to be the metal of poor, and jewelers worked mainly on gold. Silver was the last option they could use at that time.
Silver was used in ancient Italy and Greece for personal ornaments, vessels, jewelry, arrows, weapons and coinage. It was inlaid and plated. It was also mixed with gold to produce white gold as well as being mixed with baser metals. In this form it could be utilized in a better sense especially for body jewelry, according to the consideration of that time.
Examples of ancient silver body jewelry were found in Queen Pu-abi's tomb at Ur in Sumeria (now called Tall al-Muqayyar), dated as old as 3000 BC. In the crypt the queen's body was covered with jewelry made of different beads and several precious and non precious metals; with silver making the major contribution.
Aegean lands were rich in precious metals too. The remarkable deposits of treasure found in the earliest prehistoric period were on the site of Troy. These valuables are not likely to be later than 2000 BC. The largest of them was known as Priam's Treasure. That substance was a large cup containing different metallic ornaments and silver was in the highest quantity. It consisted of elaborate diadems or pectorals, six bracelets, 60 earrings and hair rings and nearly 9,000 beads.
Silver body jewelry was also widely used in the Greek islands however only a few simple vessels, rings, pins, and headbands survive. These items can be found in different museums. Silver jewelry of ancient times is truly fascinating and mesmerizing.
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