 Peruvian silver –
Hand-made silver articles. You will find the ideal present for yourself or your loved ones
on the pages of our catalogue. Your satisfaction and being able to offer you the widest
possible variety of products are our wish. If you cannot find the piece of jewelry or
handicraft article you are looking for, just write us and describe what it is you want. We
will do everything in our power to find just the right piece and will send you information
about it and photos. All of our articles are either totally or partially hand-made. No
moulds are used.
Each piece is hand-carved or engraved, making it a work of art. For that reason, the
weights given are always approximate. To get a more detailed picture of any article shown
in the catalogue, just click on it.
Our "shopping cart" system is very easy to use; all you have to do is click on
the product price in order to add an article to your cart. To see what you have put into
your cart or to make your payment on-line, just click on the words: "View shopping
cart" shown at the bottom of the naviagation bar.
You can also make your purchases off-line. The details are given on our Ordering page.
Silver in the world
The word SILVER is taken from the Latin and means metal plate or sheet. The Romans called
it ARGENTUM, the Greeks … ARGYROS, and the ancient Hebrews…KESEPH. To the
Germans, it is SILBER; to the British, SILVER; to the Arabs, FIDDA. The Mochicas called it
XLLAXLL and the Incas, COLLQUE. These are some of the names that have been given to the
precious, brilliant white, resounding, ductile and malleable metal. It is somewhat harder
than gold, but less so than copper.
A silver alloy is used for crafting jewelry; the small addition of copper makes the silver
stronger without affecting its color in any appreciable way. In nature, silver can be
found pure or as part of more or less complex ores. Generally speaking, gold ores are
always found in association with the silver.
Silver in Peru
Ancient Peruvians were already using silver, as alloys or alone, before Christ’s
birth. The pre- Inca cultures were familiar with silver, which they extracted from surface
deposits rich in the metal. All of them worked it, but only 4 boasted outstanding
silversmiths: the VICÚS, MOCHICA, LAMBAYEQUE, and CHIMÚ cultures –all of them
located on Peru’s northern coast. Silver was used to fashion symbols of power
(scepters and staffs), ritual objects (tumis, or ceremonial knives) and funerary objects
(masks and vessels).
The Chimús (1200 to 1460 A.D.) had no direct access to gold or silver, but were able to
obtain it by trading with highland peoples. They were the most accomplished metalworkers
of ancient Peru, mastering a variety of techniques: pouring, refining, laminating,
finishing and polishing, including filigree making. Artifacts of different kinds found at
archeological sites attest to this. Later, during the Inca Empire, significant advances
were made in these techniques.
For the ancient Andean, gold represented the sun and silver, the moon and the two were
brother and sister and for that reason could always be found together.
The Spaniards, on their arrival in the New World, were dazzled by the profusion of gold
and silver ornaments worn by the natives. Few of these have been conserved, but those that
have been give some idea of the very fine workmanship of the Peruvian gold and
silversmiths before the colonial period.
During the Conquest and the Viceregal period, mining was the underpinning for the colonial
economy and the vast wealth it produced for the Spanish crown led to Peru’s being
called the "gold bank." Enormous amounts of silver were mined in the rich
deposits in the colonies and shipped to Spain. Silver-working progressed steadily,
hand-in-hand with this intensive silver mining, and a variety of distinguishable
specializations developed.
There was an ecclesiastic silver-working, which produced liturgical objects of silver and
applications of this metal to religious images, altarpieces and processional altars;
household silver-working exemplified by the crafting of drawing room, library, dining room
and bedroom pieces, as well as earrings, frames, card holders, letter openers, brackets,
vessels, flower vase, plates, silverware and containers for incense, chocolate, teas and
other household products; and country silver-working that was born of the custom of
adorning horses with silver ornaments.
It was during this period that fine silver and goldsmithing began to develop in some of
the gold and silver producing countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and especially
Peru. Soon the native and Creole artists began to turn out magnificent works of art that
today embellish the sumptuous temples to be found in all of the large and small cities of
Latin America. These gold and silver pieces at times bear the stamp of the Spanish
artisans, but at other times the creative instinct of native craftsmen combined with the
aesthetic influence of the aboriginal peoples have produced works that can be compared
favorably with the best the world can offer.
Silver crafting continued to develop during Peru’s republican period, even after the
appearance of a silver-working industry in the capital. The departments of Ayacucho (first
the neighborhood of Santa Ana and then Huanta and other departments, like Huancavelica and
Apurímac), Junín (mainly the town of San Jerónimo de Tunán) and Piura (primarily San
Juan Bautista de Catacaos) became known for their fine silver filigree crafting. Lima also
became a center of production and, above all, of trade in hand-made silver articles.
Handing down their skill at filigree-making from father to son, Peruvian craftsmen have
fashioned necklaces, chokers, earrings, bracelets, pins, chains, crosses, rosaries,
medals, baskets, varied-shaped boxes, jewelry chests, coffers, pill boxes, letters, key
chains, letter openers, paperweights, pens, silverware, candelabra, reliquaries, parts of
nativity scenes, and religious images. They also make miniature reproductions of churches,
Peruvian paso horse, bulls, fighting cocks, llama, deer, birds, butterflies, flowers,
sprigs, trees, fruits, boats, horse-drawn carriages, old cars, airplanes, Viking galleys,
helicopters, gods and typical characters from each region.
PERUSILVER offers you the chance to purchase some of these quality products at reasonable
prices without having to leave your home.
María del Carmen Sala |
