Silver Earrings - What Every Girl Needs by Rob Esmund

Silver earrings have been around a long time, and have an enduring appeal for discerning women. Silver earrings have recently become more popular than ever, because of the wide range of designs available, and the air of sophistication they bring to a woman’s appearance.

The use of silver by mankind, goes way back to ancient times, even being mentioned in the book of Genesis. In its purest raw form it has a brilliant white metallic lustre, and is a little harder than gold, the other precious metal widely used in jewellery. Silver is alloyed with copper to make it suitably workable and durable for use in jewellery, and indeed it has been successfully used to make many superbly intricate designs for earrings.

Silver has sometimes been thought of as the poor cousin to gold, but in recent times it has become more fashionable as gold has become commonplace and perceived by many as too flashy and gauche. The metal has a more traditional, subtle, and sophisticated appeal. Silver earrings are incredibly versatile and can be worn with virtually any outfit. They often look most stunning when teamed with a single colour outfit, especially a darker colour.

Silver is much used in traditional and ethnic styles of earrings. Celtic inspired earrings are very popular. They may be a simple stud embodying a Celtic knot or symbol, perhaps with a stone set in the middle, or they may be of pendant type, with perhaps an elongated intricate woven Celtic design. More contemporary designs of earrings depict stars and other shapes, some showing influences of Art Nouveau.

There are also natural or country styles depicting leaf or flower form, and the Romantic style with many variations on the heart theme. In modern earrings, pearls are sometimes combined with the metal to produce beautiful natural designs.

Modern designers continue to extend the variety of design possible with the material. Seen recently in a catalogue were some very fine "Twiggy" earrings, beautifully intricate hoops, exquisite in detail. For the taller woman, a pair of "Goddess" chandelier type earrings can be most effective.

Silver flatters most skin types, so earrings out of this material are suitable for anyone, fair or dark. What's more is that they are probably the most versatile of earrings that a girl can have.