Beads of Bali

Overview

Silver is one of the elements (something that does not break down into other chemical components).  It is represented with the symbol "Ag," which stands for "argentum" -- the Latin word for both money and silver. Silver is valued in jewelry because it is very shiny when polished, reflecting all but 5% of light, and easily shaped (malleable).

Uses of Silver

Silver has many uses beyond jewelry.  Did you know that less than 30 percent of silver is used in jewelry? About one-half of all silver produced is used for industrial purposes.  No metal conducts electricity better than silver, which is why it is used in electronic devices (your cell phone, for example), solar panels, and many other gadgets. Silver is also used in photographic film, some medical products, dentistry, adhesives, and other things.

Silver Mining

Silver is found throughout the world. It is mined in the U.S. and Canada, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and other locales. Most of the silver produced is a byproduct of copper and lead mining operations in North American, Russia and Australia. At the same time, silver is very rare and precious.  Only 0.0001 percent of the earth's crust is silver.  Silver is most likely to be found in the mineral argentite.