Bloggeron

This Christmas is proving to be a very different shopping season from other holidays in recent memory. With all of the economic turmoil, consumers are thinking more carefully about how they spend their money this year. Companies are scaling back their end-of-year bonuses and holiday celebrations. Parents are putting fewer toys under the tree for their children this year, and spouses are thinking of buying silver instead of gold for their loved ones this year. While traditionalists might consider silver a lesser quality gift than gold, this year will be the holiday season to turn tradition on its ear.

High quality silver has luster, warmth and personality that exceeds any other precious metal. When most people consider buying gold jewelry as a gift, they visit a chain jewelry store. While whatever pieces you may find in a jewelry store are lovely, chances are that the gold jewelry you are purchasing is not much different than the gold jewelry in the next chain store.

When you give the gift of handmade sterling silver jewelry you give your loved one an original piece, handmade by an artisan just for you. Peruvian sterling silver jewelry is not only beautiful, but it sends a message about the individuality of the wearer. When you wear gold, people notice your jewelry. When you wear handmade silver, people notice you.

In these difficult economic times, handmade silver jewelry is a choice that is responsible on many levels. A high-quality, handmade piece of silver jewelry will cost less than a machine-made piece of gold jewelry of a similar size. For Christmas, silver will stretch your dollars that much further, without skimping on the quality of the gift. Anyone would be delighted to open a box and find inside beautiful silver earrings inlaid with butterfly wings, or a concentric pendant, handmade by a talented Peruvian silversmith.

When you give handmade silver instead of gold this Christmas, you are not only giving a gift to the person you love, but also the gift of self-sufficiency to an artist halfway across the globe. Handmade silver jewelry is made in villages by artisans who have learned centuries-old techniques in jewelry making. Your purchase allows these great artistic traditions to continue, leaving a legacy for both your recipient as well as the artist that created your gift. When you consider the value, quality, and artistic beauty of fine silver jewelry, it is easy to decide that silver vs. gold is no contest at all this Christmas.