Information on Silver

Why do you use Silver in so many of your products?

Silver is a time-tested solution to many of life's daily concerns! Silver kills a number of bacteria including those that cause odor, has excellent thermal properties, and is nontoxic. Below is a short history and explanation of how silver works.

Over the past six thousand years, many civilizations have recognized the healing properties of silver - starting with the Macedonian culture which used it to cover wounds. Ancient Romans also used silver nitrate therapeutically. In the Middle Ages, the hermetic and alchemical writings of Paracelsus speak of the virtues of silver as a healing substance [Grosse Wundartzney {1536}, W.Pagel, Paracelsus (2d ed. 1982)]. “In fact, ‘born with a silver spoon in his mouth’ is not a reference to wealth, but to health. In the early 18th century, babies who were fed with silver spoons were healthier than those fed with spoons made with other metals, and silver pacifiers found wide use in America because of their beneficial health effects.” [www.doulton.ca/silver.html “Silver’s Importance to Health” 5/27/2004].

Von Naegeli, the father of modern medicine, discovered with other colleagues in 1893 that the antibacterial effects of silver were primarily due to the silver ion itself. At about the same time, Dr. W. S. Halstead, one of the founding fathers of modern surgery, advocated the use of silver foil dressings for wounds and created the Halstead Silver Foil Bandage. [Halstead, W.S., Ligature and suture material: the employment of fine silk in preference to catgut and the advantages of transfixion of tissues and vessels in control of hemorrhage – also an account of the introduction of gloves, gutta-percha tissue and silver foil, JAMA LX, 1119, 1913]. At the same time, Dr. Albert Barns, a physician, developed a silver colloidal medicine called Argrol. Although silver colloids were listed in the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference)until 1955, the traditional medicinal uses of silver rapidly disappeared as antibiotics were introduction and the price of the metal itself was more expensive than the new treatments.

Now, silver is having a renaissance due to concerns about antibiotic-resistance virus strains.

How does silver work? All bacteria contain a semi-permeable exterior membrane of peptidoglycan, a structure consisting of long carbohydrate chains and amino acids. [Etris, Samuel. “Why Silver Kill Germs and Heals Wounds.” Silver News from The Silver Institute. 20 May 2004 ]. Along the peptidoglycan membrane there are receptors and enzymes that are responsible for the cell’s respiration. Because silver ions have a positive charge, they can easily bind with the negatively charged petidoglycan membrane that also contains many active binding sites for metal ions. [Gupta, Rani., et. al. “Microbial biosorbents: Meeting challenges of heavy metal pollution in aqueous solutions.” Current Science. Vol. 78 (25 April 2000): 967-972].

Silver ions attach themselves to the sulfhydryl group (-SH) on the receptors along the peptidoglycan membrane that causes the protein to unravel instead of fold into the proper tertiary structure for membrane stability and activation of enzymes. The unraveling of the protein then disables the bacteria’s oxygen metabolizing enzymes. Because the enzymes are altered, the bacterium cell suffocates and dies.

Silver ions are nontoxic to all animal and plant cells because the cells have a thicker, more complex outer membrane [Ertis op.cit.]. The exterior membrane is not made of peptidoglycan nor does it have a negative charge that attracts silver ions. However, when animal and plant cells are invaded by microbes, the complex outer membrane reverses back into its primitive form. This primitive form is very similar to the peptidoglycan membrane of bacteria, fungi, and other parasitic microorganisms. It is then susceptible to the actions by silver ions. [Marvin, Robey. “A Safe and Simple Treatment for Aids.” The Herald of Provo Utah 2 February 1992, day ed.: 2D ].

How is the Silver added to Fine Silver Products? The silver layer on the yarn fiber/fabric substrate is 99.9% pure and permanently bonded to the surface of the textile in an unique metallizing process that bonds silver on polyamide based materials. Silver is a naturally occurring element, and there are no artificial chemicals that may cause fear of toxicity. Silver fibers are the active ingredient in many FDA approved medical devices. The silver is irreversibly bonded to the polymer yarn and does not wash out. For example, ARGENTEX textiles have been tested for more than 250 washes without reduction in antibacterial effects. In fact, the hotter and wetter the environment, the more effective the silver fibers become. Wash Fine Silver Products clothing/aids according to instructions and the silver layer will continue to work for years to come.

Customer Support

We are happy to answer your questions about Fine Silver Products. You may have questions about sizes, colors, special orders, or an already placeed order. Our policy is to answer your questions within 24 hours of our next business day (8:00 - 5:00 Eastern US time). Send an eMail with your question or your order confirmation number to: customerservice@fine-silver-productsnet.com. DO NOT use eMail messages to make changes to your orders! We may not get them in time. Call customer service at +1 315 597 6687.

Ordering

On-Line

You can feel secure ordering from Fine Silver Products. We are a Yahoo Store which means we offer the highest level of security available. All online transactions at finesilverproductsnet.com are handled with industry-standard SSL encrytion. Here's how it works -

All the information you enter on the Fine Silver Products order form, including your credit card information, is transmitted over the Internet in an encrypted (scrambled) form. It is unscrambled ONLY when the information reaches the Fine Silver Products order department. Furthermore all customer data we collect as a Yahoo Store is protected against unauthorized access.

For help on using Yahoo Ordering visit stores.yahoo.com/help.html.

Your order is reviewed for accuracy as soon as it is received by us. Occasionally a Manufacturer may inform us of changes in delivery or availability. We will contact you for your preference in those cases. We'll also contact you if there is an inadvertant error on our site, or if there is a problem with your order.

After you've place your order, you will be directed to the Order Confirmation Screen. Print this page out for your records. If you see the Order Confirmation Screen, you know that your order is on its way to fine-silver-productsnet.com. If you check "E-Mail Copy" option, you will receive an e-mail with the Order Confirmation Information. If you check "Package Tracking E-Mail, you will receive an eMail message when your order ships with order information, shipper information and a website address where you can track you package.

Off-Line

We are in the office from 8:00 - 5:00 Eastern US time, and you may call in to place your order. +1 315 597 6687

After you place your order, mail a cashiers check or money order for the complete amount with your order and send to: Fine Silver Products 4502 Rt 31 Palmyra, NY 14522 USA Note we cannot process your order without total payment.

You can also print out the page/order form and mail it in, however, you will need to call us or use the on-line system first to figure out the total payment including shipping charges and any sales tax.

Shipping

We can ship anywhere in the USA and territories using UPS or USPS. We ship international orders via UPS or DHL. Call or eMail for shipping rates. Duties, customs fees and taxes vary by country and are the responsibility of the customer and therefor are not included in the item price. We do not ship to countries restricted by US regulations.

All products ship from our warehouse in Palmyra, NY USA [Home of the Mormon Pageant in Upstate New York - with Great and Finger Lakes, enchanting forests, and so much more!] in approximately 5 to 7 business days unless otherwise noted. Standard shipping is UPS Ground.

If you want it faster, contact Customer Service at +1 315 597 6687. We can also ship Next Day, 2nd or 3rd day (UPS) or Priority Mail (USPS).

30 Day Guarantee

We value our customers and our products and want to assure your satisfaction. In order to do that, you may return any unused item in its original condition and packaging within 30 days of receipt for a refund, credit or exchange (minus the shipping and handling cost). Return items with a copy of your packing sheet to: Fine Silver Products, 4502 Rt 31, Palmyra, NY 14522.

If you received a damaged item, call Customer Service at +1 315 597 6687 and we will issue a call tag. We will refund or exchange the item at your instructions.

Sales Tax Sales Tax is added only for customers of New York State.

Gift Wrap Gift Wrapping is not available at this time.

Thank you for shopping with Fine-Silver-ProductsNet.com