Green Leaf Peridot ring

Silver is a precious metal that takes its name from the Latin word for shiny, argentum. After having been a resource of great value in Greece and Crete during Antiquity, silver was subsequently extracted largely in Spain, and later in central Europe. In the 19th century, thanks to numerous advances in production (including the technique of drilling by steam engines and the improvement of transport), many silver mines were discovered and exploited throughout the world. Today, silver is found in the form of veins and nuggets mainly in Mexico, Peru, Australia and China. In traditional jewellery-making, silver is often covered with a thin layer of rhodium which gives it a more homogeneous and stable colour over time. But today designers favour its natural colour and rarely "rhodium" their silver pieces. Instead, they set it with stones and allow it to oxidise for a modern and elegant look. Like gold, silver is malleable. It is therefore impossible to use it at 100% purity for the creation of jewellery. In France, silver is recognised as a precious metal from 800 thousandths of pure silver in the alloy. However, the silver most commonly used in jewellery is 925 thousandths, that is to say an alloy composed of 92.5% pure silver. Different hallmarks are used to classify silver according to its purity. The 925 thousandths silver is marked by a Minerva head. Alloys made up of 80% pure silver are represented by a head of Minerva followed by the number 2. Silver jewellery tends to oxidise on contact with oxygen in the air. This natural oxidation disappears quite easily with specific products for silverware. These must be applied with a soft cloth, then rinsed and dried. At WHITEbIRD, designer Sophie Buhai’s sculptural and often voluminous pieces inspired by the modernist tradition put silver in the spotlight. De Jaegher also use silver in their precious jewellery.

Deux théories s’opposent quant à l’étymologie du mot péridot : certains y voient une origine arabe, faridat (“pierre précieuse”), tandis que d’autres le rattachent au grec chrysos lithos, “pierre dorée”. Sa couleur — un vert lumineux tirant tantôt vers le jaune, tantôt vers des tonalités plus brunes — lui a souvent valu d’être confondu avec l’émeraude dans les trésors royaux. Comme le diamant, le péridot naît dans les profondeurs du manteau terrestre. Ce n’est qu’au gré des mouvements tectoniques et de l’activité volcanique que cette pierre, formée à plusieurs kilomètres sous la surface, remonte jusqu’à nous. Découvert pour la première fois sur une île de la mer Rouge, le péridot est aujourd’hui extrait en Birmanie, au Pakistan, aux États-Unis, en Chine et au Vietnam. L’un des plus grands spécimens connus — un cristal de 310 carats — est conservé au Smithsonian Institute de Chicago. Sa teinte fraîche et transparente séduit par sa clarté immédiate. Dans certaines traditions, on prête au péridot des propriétés liées à la confiance en soi et à l’équilibre émotionnel. Sa lumière douce serait capable d’apaiser la nervosité, la jalousie ou les tensions intérieures. En joaillerie contemporaine, Christina Magdolna ou Grainne Morton l’utilisent en touches délicates, révélant un vert pur et franc, à la fois solaire et raffiné.