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Silver is a white shiny metallic element that has been used since ancient times. It has been valued as the precious monetary metal next to gold. And its significance throughout the years is due to the fact that its name in Latin and in Greek – Argentum or Argos is known literally as money. It is no wonder that for four thousand years, most of the ancient societies wealth and prestige comes from the accumulated number of silver deposits acquired.
Silver has been found in ancient tombs in various archeological digs throughout the world. Different artifacts such as silver jewelry and silver plated armor have been found. This shows that silver has been used and valued by human society for a very long time.
When mined, silver is combined with other alloys such as gold. Chemical elements such as arsenic, sulfur, chlorine and antimony are also attached. The major sources of silver are ores from copper, combinations of copper-nickel and lead. Most of the silver mined today is found in such countries such as Mexico, China, Peru, and Australia among others.
In its purest form, silver is a lustrous shiny metal that easily gets tarnished when exposed to the elements for a long time. In some cases, the silvery effect will be replaced by greenish black layer tarnish. However, with polishing and a little maintenance, the shiny appearance will appear again.
Silver’s characteristics being very ductile and malleable are considered perfect for creating fine jewelry, utensils and monetary currency such as coins. Aside from other functions, its high thermal and electric conductivity also makes it a good material for lot of different industrial applications in medicine, energy and computer hardware.
In addition to its industrial uses, silver is used in a number of health care products due to its anti-bacterial components. This is where the term” Silver Bullet’ got its name. Silver is used in hospitals to treat bacterial infections in burn victims. Wound dressing are layered with silver to prevent the growth of any malicious bacteria that may cause secondary infections.
Compared with other metals, pure silver so far has the highest rating in thermal conductivity. It also has the whitest color and high optical reflectivity. It is partly used sometimes to make high-quality mirrors although aluminum is sometimes used as a substitute.
Aside from its physical application, silver is also valued as an investment tool to preserve and accumulate wealth over long periods of time. Similar to stock market investing, investors will buy silver bars, silver coins and other forms of silver bullion at a lower price to eventually sell them at a higher price for a profitable returns or to just preserve and protect their capital.
Silver as an investment tool is a widely used tactic by smart investors to diversify their holdings against economic downfalls such as recession. In fact, some the leading financial advisors in the world forecast the unparalleled investment opportunity that silver has in the future. And with silver deposit below the ground are starting to diminish then the value of this precious metal will surely appreciate to higher levels.
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