Silver is an extremely malleable and ductile metal. In chemistry, silver is element 47, a transition metal. It has an atomic weight of 107.86 a.m.u. Its symbol is Ag, from the Latin word for silver, argentum.
Silver was one of the seven metals of antiquity that were known to prehistoric humans.
In early Egyptian history, silver was more valued than gold because silver was less often found in nugget form.
Silver has been used for many thousands of years by people all over the world, for jewellery, as money. Notable silver coins through the centuries include the Greek drachma, the Roman denarius, the Islamic dirham and the Spanish dollar.
In 1191 King Richard I of England used chains made of silver to imprison the ruler of Cyprus because he had promised not to place him in irons.
Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal of Jesus.
Modern tinsel was invented in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1610, and was originally made of shredded silver.
One example of the luxury of Versailles during Louis XIV's reign was that even the chamber pots were made of silver. In 1689 these chamber pots were melted down to finance the French king's war against Britain and other European nations.
With the discovery of America and the plundering of silver by the Spanish conquistadors, Central and South America became the dominant producers of silver. Peru, Bolivia and Mexico have been mining silver since 1546, and are still major world producers.
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| A pure (>99.95%) silver crystal, synthetic electrolytic. By Alchemist-hp |
HISTORY
Silver was one of the seven metals of antiquity that were known to prehistoric humans.
In early Egyptian history, silver was more valued than gold because silver was less often found in nugget form.
Silver has been used for many thousands of years by people all over the world, for jewellery, as money. Notable silver coins through the centuries include the Greek drachma, the Roman denarius, the Islamic dirham and the Spanish dollar.
In 1191 King Richard I of England used chains made of silver to imprison the ruler of Cyprus because he had promised not to place him in irons.
Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal of Jesus.
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| 16th C fresco painting of Judas being paid thirty pieces of silver. By Berrucomons |
Modern tinsel was invented in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1610, and was originally made of shredded silver.
One example of the luxury of Versailles during Louis XIV's reign was that even the chamber pots were made of silver. In 1689 these chamber pots were melted down to finance the French king's war against Britain and other European nations.
With the discovery of America and the plundering of silver by the Spanish conquistadors, Central and South America became the dominant producers of silver. Peru, Bolivia and Mexico have been mining silver since 1546, and are still major world producers.
The richest source of silver in the history of mankind was the Cerro Rico de Potosà in the Andes. Between the 16th and 18th century, 80% of the world's silver supply came out of this mine.
The term "taco" originally had nothing to do with a food dish. It was a slang term for explosives workers used in the Mexican silver mines. The explosives were pieces of paper wrapped around gun powder and placed in the crevices of the rocks.
In the 19th century, primary production of silver moved to North America, particularly Canada, Mexico, and Nevada in the United States.
The first successful silver mill in North America began operations in 1860. The mill was in Virginia City, Nevada, which sprang up as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States.
The largest silver urn in existence is actually one of a pair used in 1902 by the Maharaja of Jaipur, India to transport Indian water for his personal use during a voyage to England to attend the coronation of King Edward VII. The National Geographic magazine stated the urns each contained over 10,000 ounces of pure silver.
PRODUCTION
The metal is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite.
Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.
The abundance of silver in the Earth's crust is 0.08 parts per million, almost exactly the same as that of mercury.
Silver rocks are found mostly in Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the United States, but the chief ores are sulphides, from which the metal is extracted by smelting with lead.
The world's greatest producer of silver is Mexico. It produces 5,600 tonnes per annum.
Although Argentina's name means "Land of Silver," there is actually very little of it in the country. It was misnamed by explorers who thought they saw silver there.
Silver is one of the best metallic conductors of both heat and electricity, and it's most important compounds are the chloride and bromide which darkens on exposure to light, the basis of photographic emulsions.
Silver is used for tableware, jewellery, coinage, electrical contacts and electroplating, and as a solder it makes good metallic joints at 720 degrees centigrade.
Silver is one of the few words in the English language that does not rhyme with any other word.
Source Hutchinson Encyclopedia
The term "taco" originally had nothing to do with a food dish. It was a slang term for explosives workers used in the Mexican silver mines. The explosives were pieces of paper wrapped around gun powder and placed in the crevices of the rocks.
In the 19th century, primary production of silver moved to North America, particularly Canada, Mexico, and Nevada in the United States.
The first successful silver mill in North America began operations in 1860. The mill was in Virginia City, Nevada, which sprang up as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States.
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| View of Virginia City, Nevada, from a nearby hillside, 1867–68 |
The largest silver urn in existence is actually one of a pair used in 1902 by the Maharaja of Jaipur, India to transport Indian water for his personal use during a voyage to England to attend the coronation of King Edward VII. The National Geographic magazine stated the urns each contained over 10,000 ounces of pure silver.
PRODUCTION
The metal is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite.
Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.
The abundance of silver in the Earth's crust is 0.08 parts per million, almost exactly the same as that of mercury.
Silver rocks are found mostly in Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the United States, but the chief ores are sulphides, from which the metal is extracted by smelting with lead.
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| Silver as a metal. By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com |
The world's greatest producer of silver is Mexico. It produces 5,600 tonnes per annum.
Although Argentina's name means "Land of Silver," there is actually very little of it in the country. It was misnamed by explorers who thought they saw silver there.
USES
Silver is one of the best metallic conductors of both heat and electricity, and it's most important compounds are the chloride and bromide which darkens on exposure to light, the basis of photographic emulsions.
Silver is used for tableware, jewellery, coinage, electrical contacts and electroplating, and as a solder it makes good metallic joints at 720 degrees centigrade.
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| Silver necklace Pixiebay |
FUN SILVER FACTS
Silver is one of the few words in the English language that does not rhyme with any other word.
Source Hutchinson Encyclopedia
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