Few materials have travelled so widely or carried so many meanings as silver. Prized for its lustre, durability, and malleability, silver has been shaped across millennia into coinage, jewellery, ritual vessels, and objects of daily life. Its story reflects the movement of empires, the growth of trade, and the ambitions of artisans who transformed a raw material into objects of beauty and significance.
Silver
Silver Through the Ages
21 August 2024
Kier Alexander
Antiquity: Items of Value and Ceremony
Silver was already in use by the third millennium BCE, traded from mines in Anatolia, Greece, and later Spain. Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians valued silver as a precious metal, though it was rarer than gold in their societies. By the classical era, silver became central to coinage: the Greek drachma and Roman denarius set standards that spread across the ancient world. Alongside this practical role, silver also carried ceremonial weight, fashioned into votive offerings, ritual bowls, and jewellery that reflected wealth and social standing.
The Medieval Period: Symbol and Utility
In medieval Europe, silver retained its dual role as currency and ornament. Coins, chalices, reliquaries, and domestic objects were all produced in silver, its reflective surface linked symbolically to purity and divinity. Guilds of goldsmiths and silversmiths flourished, establishing standards of quality that survive today in the form of hallmarks. The material’s adaptability allowed it to serve the church, the court, and the household alike.
The Early Modern Era: Expansion and Refinement
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw silver transformed by global trade. Vast quantities mined in the Americas entered Europe, fuelling both economic expansion and artistic experimentation. In Britain and on the Continent, silversmiths created elaborately chased tankards, candlesticks, and tableware, reflecting both status and evolving domestic rituals. This was also the age of regulation: the introduction of hallmarking ensured the integrity of silver objects, while new techniques elevated them from purely functional to highly decorative.
The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Industry and Design
The nineteenth century brought silver into the industrial age. Advances in manufacturing enabled greater output of flatware and service pieces for a growing middle class. At the same time, designers such as Christopher Dresser in Britain and Georg Jensen in Denmark reimagined silver with new forms, uniting function with progressive aesthetics. The twentieth century saw further innovation, from the streamlined modernism of Art Deco to the textured, playful works of designers like Stuart Devlin, whose creations blurred the line between utility and sculpture.
Silver Today: Tradition and Design
In the present, silver continues to hold its place as both material and medium. Whether in the revival of traditional craft techniques, the minimalism of Scandinavian flatware, or the luxury of contemporary jewellery, silver remains central to artistic expression and domestic life. Collectors value not only the inherent worth of the metal but also the artistry of those who shaped it, from ancient silversmiths to modern designers.
Makers Through The Years
Designers & Makers
Anna Gordon
Scottish
Designers & Makers
William Marshall
Scottish 1781 - 1859
Designers & Makers
Patrick Murray
Goldsmith & Jacobite
Designers & Makers
Ebenezer Oliphant
The history of silver is, in many ways, the history of civilisation itself: a story of trade, ceremony, craftsmanship, and innovation. From the coinage of antiquity to the sculptural jewellery of the modern era, silver continues to embody both beauty and purpose.
