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10 Interesting Facts About Silver

Silver is a chemical element that exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity compared to other metals. It is typically found on the earth’s crust in the purest, free elemental form. Moreover, most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.

1. Sterling silverware originated in England during the 13th century.

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To say that silver has been there forever would be an understatement. The sterling silverware in particular is made up of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, inclusive of copper. So in essence, the main metal here is silver and it was used as earlier as the 13^th century. This means that it has been there for quite a long time and still continues to be in use. Today, sterling silverware is very popular in jewelry making and other artistic applications.

2. Silver is valuable as money.

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Money is one of the most common means by which silver is found. In fact, the terms ‘silver’ and ‘money’ are used synonymously in at least fourteen different languages thus showing that indeed, silver is just as valuable as money. Since 700 BC, silver has actually been serving monetary purposes and in the U.S., it was used in circulating coinage all through the 1970s. Additionally, silver has been used in coinage and other forms of money all over the world for many years. Some countries still do to date.

3.   Silver is non-toxic to humans.

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It has been researched and found that silver is non-toxic to human beings. The fact that it has been in use for so long should justify it. For instance, it is said to turn up in various foodstuffs and in particular ornamental items like icings, metallic jimmies, and many other decorative pieces. Moreover, scientifically speaking, silver is antimicrobial and is therefore used in culinary and other sterile medical settings. In fact, this is a factor that has been in play for thousands of years with Phoenicians being among the first people to utilize silver bottles for storing water, milk, and even wine. This was so as to prevent any kind of contamination.

4. Silver is abundant.

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Ironically, silver is a very precious metal that is relatively scarce but at the same time, there’s still a lot of it. According to research that has been done over the years, there are approximately 20 billion ounces of silver that are presently being used currently in a number of items. It is included in the application of coins, jewelry, and religious artifacts among many other artifacts. Actually, a good amount of silver is often discarded each year and part of this is found in industrial items that are other impractical or too expensive to recycle. Thus, they are quite in abundance out there.

5.   Silver is the world’s most electrically conductive element.

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When it comes to conducting electricity, no other metal on earth does this best than silver. It is the best thermal conductor and ranks just above copper and gold in its efficiency and ability to conduct electricity. Therefore among these metals, silver is also used in many electronic products.

6.   No metal is as reflective as silver.

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Given its nature, naturally, silver is used often in manufacturing mirrors, especially as a layer of coating the mirror’s surface. The reason why silver is perfect for this is because no other metal on earth is as reflective as silver especially when it is polished. Apart from it being very reflective and shiny thus admirable, it is also used for scientific tools like microscopes and telescopes.

7. Silver is among the earliest elements discovered.

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Among all the things we have found out about silver, it is also mind-blowing to find out that silver is among the earliest elements to ever be discovered. In fact, it was one of the first five elements among gold, copper, lead and iron to ever be known to human beings. Historically, silver objects date all the way back to 4000 BC although the metal was likely discovered around a thousand years before this. By 3000 BC, ancient civilizations had learned how to separate silver from lead. This was an important process because, during this time, silver was considered more valuable than gold because it was at its peak during the 15^th century.

8. Silver is found in the Earth’s crust.

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Finding silver should not be a very difficult task because it is located at the top layers of the earth. When found, it is usually found in the mix of other metals like gold and copper and hence the process of separating them becomes important. Usually, the white metal that turns up in rocks has to be retrieved through mining and refinement and that’s basically how the silver will be arrived at.

9. Silver has some outstanding properties.

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Suffice it to say, silver is a very highly adaptable element that can be done to all sorts of things like being squished, pressed, and even stretched to any form or shape imaginable. Yet still, they are able to retain their physical integrity. For instance, one grain of silver can be pressed into a plate a hundred times thinner than a sheet of paper. It can also be transformed into a wire that measures eight thousand feet long. That’s really quite long.

10. Silver production is becoming more efficient.

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Silver that is being discovered or rediscovered daily from prior uses is increasing every year. In 2005 for example, the world produced roughly 20,500 metric tons of silver and in 2018, that number had increased to 27,000. Moreover, the procedures of mining are continuously becoming advanced and more refined. Hence, the production of silver is becoming more and more efficient the more the globe is advancing.

Silver is a beautiful mineral that is always eye-catching. It is refreshing to realizing that indeed it is in abundance and will be part of us for a very long time.