Heavy Silver
Heavy Silver (on Earth known as platinum) is the metal used by the Elvirim to make the Bharana given to all Elvirim young people when they complete their Ceremony of Ascension. It is an extremely rare metal, found as nuggets in places known only to them. Only Elvirim smiths and jewelers know how to purify Heavy Silver nuggets, and only they have furnaces with heat capable of softening it enough to make their fine Bharana jewelry; though, it is said that some Dwarvirim smiths have smelters capable of producing enough heat to do so.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Pure Heavy Silver is said to be ductile, but not as much as gold. Unlike "normal" silver, it never tarnishes, rusts, or discolors. It is very durable, being slightly harder than iron. It cannot be melted even in smelters capable of melting iron ore. It is also very heavy, much heavier even than lead (almost twice as heavy).
History & Usage
Cultural Significance and Usage
On Derkomai, Heavy Silver is used only to make Bharana jewelry by the Elvirim. Only they know where to find it and how to work it. It is extremely rare and considered sacred by the Elvirim. Anyone other than an Elvirim possessing anything made of Heavy Silver would be committing a very grave offense. Every piece of Bharana jewelry is uniquely made according to traditional patterns for each tribe and individual. Any Elvirim seeing a piece of Bharana jewelry can immediately identify the tribe from which it originated and possibly the individual for whom it was made. Anyone possessing a piece of Bharana jewelry other than the Elvirim individual for whom it was made is likely to be dead very soon.
Reusability & Recycling
When an Elvirim dies, his or her Bharana is returned to the tribal elders. It is incorporated into an ancestral shrine as part of a funeral and remembance ceremony for the Elvirim individual. Some tribes will reuse a piece of Bharana jewelry from the ancestral shrine to make the Bharana for a descendant.
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