Silver is not a commodity. It is an art, says Avinash Gupta, Founder of Argentum Arts, while addressing a workshop “Silver Unveiled” organised by FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO), Hyderabad Chapter.
A unique knowledge-sharing session was organized by us for the benefit of our members by Argentum Arts said, Ritu Shah, Chairperson of FLO. The workshop is organized in two batches, one on Saturday and the other on Monday.
Several women have several questions about Silver, investment in it, Silver Art, maintenance of silver jewellery, objects and many such things. But they don’t know whom to ask. Here is the session, the ultimate knowledge exchange workshop, she said.
Silver never goes out of passion. It is always part of our life, Ritu Shah added.
The participants were enlightened by experts Avinash Gupta, Founder and Collector of Silver Art and Pulkit Gupta, Managing Partner of Argentum Arts. The 6o minutes session dealt with interesting topics such as What is Silver, why is it precious, why to invest in it, highlight the art forms of silver, and silver artefacts, why is there so much variation in making charges, silver filigree, why Burmese silver is very expensive, how to maintain silver articles how to prevent silver from tarnishing, and how to get back tarnished silver to its original status and many more.
Silver craft is an important type of Indian handicraft. It is known for its high aesthetic as well as economic value. Filigree work, Bidri art, Tarakasi of Cuttack, etc are the famous silver craft methods in our country, said Avinash Gupta.
Silver, though, is a metal used as Jewellery, but its modern uses are plenty. It can fit in any kind of home décor. Traditionally, silverware has been used to decorate homes of royalty and was a status symbol.
Silver is also a very good investment option. It outperformed gold. Silver as a precious metal has increased many folds in the recent past. No other metal has shown this sort of phenomenal rise. Therefore, silver art pieces work as a great investment, said Pulkit Gupta. With so many luxury homes on board, he added that the Silver Art is in demand now and back as sought after décor pieces in homes now.
Silver is a better performer than gold in times of high inflation. Silver has historically delivered gains of close to 20% per annum in years where inflation is high, Pulkit said.
He added that the demand for silver jewellery is on the rise in 2023.
It has many characteristics which no other metal has. Articles can be handcrafted in silver as it is a very soft metal, which is not possible in any other metal other than gold.
Keep silver in a box with moisture absorbers like silica gel packs or a piece of charcoal. Wrap your silver pieces in velvet or microfiber cloth before keeping them in a box. This is the best way to maintain silver jewellery, he said.
Speaking about preventing silver from getting tarnished, Pulak said, it is better to store Silver Jewelry in Plastic Bags or Airtight Container
Tarnish happens because of exposure to oxygen and sulfur particles in the air. So, to keep your silver from tarnishing, you can store it in a ziplock bag and other airtight container. Remove all the air before sealing the bag. To prevent items from scratching one another, store each item individually. And the easiest and most surprising tip is to wear it to prevent it from tarnishing, Pulkit said.
The workshop was held in the 5000 sq ft showroom of Argentum Arts, the SilverSmith, a unique and only-of-its-kind showroom for silver artefacts in the Jubilee Hills in the city. It is known for its art in silver. It has a wide range of silver artefacts from simplistic décor to larger-than-life articles. One example is the Grand Foundation with European Art which weighs about 40 kgs. This 5000 sqft showroom has a huge collection of silver artefacts and silver art forms.