Silver is a shiny grayish-white metal that has been highly valued as a precious metal for centuries due to its beauty, rarity, and usefulness. Many common everyday items contain some amount of silver due to its ductility, malleability, resistance to corrosion, and its higher thermal and electrical conductivity compared to other metals.
Household Items
In the home, silver is commonly used in jewelry, silverware, decorative items, mirrors, batteries, electrical contacts, and photography. Below are some of the most common household items that contain silver:
- Sterling silver jewelry – Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.
- Silver-plated items – Serving trays, vases, picture frames, candlesticks. A thin layer of silver is electroplated onto a base metal.
- Silverware – Forks, knives, spoons, serving utensils. Sterling silver flatware contains 92.5% silver.
- Decorative objects – Bowls, platters, tea sets, figurines. May be sterling silver or silver-plated.
- Mirrors – The reflective backing on mirrors is made with silver due to its high reflectivity.
- Batteries – Silver oxide batteries use silver for the anode. Commonly used in watches, cameras, toys.
- Electrical contacts – Electrical switches and relays use silver’s conductivity. Automobiles have up to 40 silver-tipped switches.
- Photography – Photographic film contains traces of silver to form the image. Silver halides are sensitive to light.
Coins and Medals
For centuries, silver has been used to mint coins and medals due to its metallic sheen and resistance to tarnishing. Some silver coins and medals include:
- Silver American Eagles – U.S. bullion coins containing one troy ounce of .999 fine silver.
- Morgan dollars – U.S. dollar coins minted from 1878 to 1904 and in 1921. Contains 90% silver.
- Peace dollars – U.S. dollar coins minted from 1921-1928 and in 1934-1935. Made of 90% silver.
- Silver wartime nickels – U.S. five-cent coins minted in 1942-1945 containing 35% silver.
- Olympic medals – Modern Olympic gold medals contain 92.5% silver and a minimum of 6 grams of gold plating.
- Silver dollars – Canadian dollar coins minted from 1935-1967 containing 80% silver.
Industrial Uses
Silver has many industrial applications including uses in electronics, batteries, automotive parts, medical devices, glass coatings, mirrors, water purification, and nuclear reactors. Some specific industrial uses of silver include:
- Conductive paste – Used in printed electronics for circuit boards, RFID chips, plasma displays.
- Silver-zinc and silver-cadmium batteries – For cameras, watches, hearing aids, calculators.
- Bearings and bushings – Automotive bearings use silver due to its strength, corrosion resistance, and high lubricity.
- Brazing and soldering – Silver allows brazing of dissimilar metals and creates ductile, corrosion-resistant joints.
- Solar panels – Silver paste improves the conductivity of silicon photovoltaic cells.
- RFID chips – Silver paste is printed onto pet tags, credit cards, toll tags.
- Catalyst – Silver acts as a catalyst to produce silicone and formaldehyde.
- Water purification – Silver ions and silver nanoparticles are antibacterial and antifungal.
- Wood preservatives – Silver-copper solutions preserve and waterproof lumber.
- Mirrors and coatings – Reflective silver coatings on glass for mirrors, telescopes, microscopes.
Jewelry Alloys
Due to its beauty and resistance to tarnish, silver is commonly alloyed with other metals to produce jewelry. Some silver alloys include:
- Sterling silver – 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper. Most common silver alloy used in silver jewelry and silverware.
- Argentium sterling silver – 92.5% silver, 7.5% germanium or copper. Tarnish-resistant alternative to traditional sterling silver.
- Fine silver – 99.9% pure silver. Too soft for most jewelry so usually alloyed with copper or other metals.
- Britannia silver – 95.8% silver, 4.2% copper. Developed in Britain as an alternative to sterling silver.
- Mexican silver – 95% silver, 5% copper. Slightly lower silver content than sterling silver.
- Coin silver – 90% silver, 10% copper. Historic U.S. alloy no longer used for circulating silver coins.
Silver Compounds
Silver can be combined with other elements to form various inorganic silver compounds that have specialized uses:
- Silver nitrate – Used in some antiseptics and antimicrobial solutions. Causes indelible black stains.
- Silver chloride – Light sensitive, used in photographic paper and films.
- Silver sulfadiazine – Topical antibiotic cream used to treat severe burns.
- Silver acetate – Used as a catalyst for oxidation reactions.
- Silver iodide – Used in cloud seeding to produce rain, fog dispersal, artificial snow.
- Silver fulminate – Extremely sensitive explosive, used in percussion caps and blasting caps.
- Silver fluoride – Added to toothpaste and drinking water for dental health benefits.
Silver in the Human Body
Trace amounts of silver can be found in the human body and have some health benefits, although silver toxicity is also possible if intake is too high. Some facts about silver in the human body:
- Trace amounts are present in tissues and body fluids, with higher concentrations in the liver, skin, adrenal glands, and mucous membranes.
- No known biological role, although some studies indicate it may be beneficial for cardiovascular health.
- Used as a biocide coating for medical devices and implants due to its antimicrobial properties.
- Colloidal silver dietary supplements claim to boost the immune system and treat infections, although benefits are unproven.
- Silver accumulation in the skin and organs causes an irreversible bluish-gray discoloration known as argyria.
- Can act as a neurotoxin if blood levels become too high.
| Source | Typical Silver Concentration |
|---|---|
| Human liver | 0.5 – 1 ppm |
| Human blood | Less than 0.001 ppm |
| Human hair | 0.02 – 0.2 ppm |
| Human male reproductive cells | 0.7 ppm |
ppm = parts per million
Foods Containing Silver
Some foods naturally contain trace amounts of silver or have silver introduced during processing. Foods with higher silver content include:
- Mushrooms – Accumulate silver; concentrations of 2-4 ppm are common.
- Whole wheat cereals – Refined grains have lower silver content than whole grains.
- Cow’s milk – Typically contains 0.017 ppm silver or more.
- Shellfish – Oysters, mussels, and clams can accumulate silver from their environment.
- Chocolate – Has an average silver concentration of 0.1- 0.5 ppm.
- Beer & wine – Silver ions are used in the filtration process.
- Colorized cake decorations – The edible silver used can contain up to 10% silver.
The average daily dietary intake of silver is estimated at 7-80 micrograms for adults. Drinking water typically contributes the most dietary silver.
Silver in Nature
In nature, silver mainly exists in ores containing other elements like copper, lead, or zinc. The major natural sources of silver are:
- Argentite (silver sulfide) – The main silver ore, found combined with galena, chalcopyrite, and other sulfide minerals.
- Cerargyrite (horn silver) – An important source of silver composed of silver chloride.
- Proustite (ruby silver) – A silver-arsenic sulfosalt mineral and major ore of silver.
- Freibergite – A silver-copper-iron sulfide mineral that is a common silver ore.
- Pyrargyrite (ruby silver) – A silver sulfantimonide mineral that is a minor ore of silver.
- Polybasite (antimony silver) – A silver-antimony sulfosalt mineral and commercial source of silver.
- Native silver – Occurs as flakes, grains, crystals, dendrites, wires but is relatively rare in nature.
The main silver mining countries are Mexico, Peru, China, Chile, Russia, and Poland. Silver is typically extracted from ores through a combination of mining, crushing, mechanical agitation, and chemical leaching.
Notable Historical Silver Items
Throughout history, civilizations have crafted many famous works of art, artifacts, and architecture from silver due to its beauty. Some examples include:
- The Gundestrup Cauldron – A 2nd or 1st century BCE large silver bowl discovered in Denmark.
- The Sevso Treasure – A hoard of 4th century Roman Empire silver treasure acquired illegally in the 1970s.
- Sterling silver Viking coins – Over 50,000 coins estimated to have been buried at the end of the Viking era around 1066-1072 AD.
- The Rosebery Treasure – An elaborate late Roman silver hoard unearthed in Britain in 1946.
- The Berthouville Treasure – An ancient Roman silver altarpiece found in France in 1830.
- Moche Pyramid of the Moon – Adorned with gold and silver ornaments, it is part of the Moche archaeological site in Peru.
These celebrated artifacts demonstrate how civilizations throughout history have placed immense value on rare and precious objects made from silver due to its metallic beauty.
Famous People Associated with Silver
Some famous historical figures who were involved with mining or trading silver include:
- The Rothschilds – The Rothschild family financed silver mining operations in Europe in the 1800s and traded bullion across Europe.
- Allen Eli Silver – American geologist who discovered the huge Peñasquito silver deposit in Mexico in 1962.
- Henry Comstock – Prospector and miner who discovered silver in Nevada, giving name to the Comstock Lode in 1859.
- Charles Anthon – Classicist consulted by Martin Harris to authenticate the characters copied from the Golden Plates linked to the Book of Mormon around 1828.
- William Chapman Ralston – Founded the Bank of California and financed silver mining such as the Comstock Lode.
- Bartolomé de Medina – Spanish metallurgist who pioneered the patio process for extracting silver from ore in 1554.
Significance of Silver in Religion and Mythology
In religion and folklore, silver has often been associated with lunar deities and protection against evil:
- In Greek mythology, silver was linked to Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt.
- In Hindu belief, silver was connected to Chandra, the lunar deity. A silver foil is sometimes applied to representations of deities.
- In Christianity, silver is believed to have divine powers and purify water. Holy chalices for mass are often silver or gilded.
- In Islam, silver rings, plates, and ornaments are considered sunna – a practice based on Muhammad’s life.
- In Buddhism, the Three Treasures are Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Buddha’s begging bowl and Tibetan reliquaries are often silver.
- In folklore, silver was thought to ward off evil creatures like vampires and werewolves, cast out demons, and negate black magic.
Conclusion
Silver has been prized for millennia for its beauty, shine, malleability, and resistance to tarnishing. It has been used to mint coinage, adorn places of worship, and create elaborate works of art. Today it has expanded industrial and medical applications from electronics to antimicrobial coatings. Yet it still maintains its cultural allure in jewelry, tableware, and iconic historical artifacts made from the mystical white metal.
