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All About Silver
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Silver, the while
and lustrous metal that we are all so familiar with now, has
been mined and used by man since ancient times. It is usually
found in the form of ores and as a free metal too. In its ore
form, it must be separated from the ores before it can be
used. Also, in its ore form silver is usually combined with
sulphur as silver sulphide, or with copper, lead or arsenic as
sulphides of these elements, and in many other different
combinations. In fact, the naturally occurring combinations of
silver are so many that there are an equal number of methods
for separating silver.
Silver is
denoted by the symbol Ag (derived from Latin argentum). The name
silver is an ancient non-Indo-European one, silubr. The name
was borrowed by the Germans, who called it silber. Its
atomic number is 47 and its relative atomic mass 107.868. |
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In earlier
days, in China, silver ingots were used as a medium of exchange.
They would carry the seal of a banker. Such ingots were known as
sycee.
Silver is a
very soft and malleable metal. In fact, it is too soft to be used in
its pure form. So it is combined with other metals, generally
copper. Sterling silver, which is used for making jewelry and
silverware, contains 92.5 per cent silver and 7.5 per cent copper.
Silver is usually assayed (value assessed) through chemical
analysis. In England, gold and silver objects carry four stamps: the
lion stamp, the stamp of the office where it was valued, the maker’s
mark and a date stamp. The lion stamp is the one that guarantees
that the silver content in the object is 92.5 per cent.
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How
sterling silver came to mean quality silver is an interesting story.
The Easterlings, a German family, were traders who dealt in silver.
They had a reputation for being such honest traders that they were
given the job of making English coins in 1215. Since then, sterling
silver came to be synonymous with quality silver.
Pure silver
does not get tarnished in pure air. Pollution in the air is
responsible for the tarnished look that we see on silver when it is
exposed to air. The most useful compounds of silver are chlorides
and bromides, which darken on exposure to light and are the basis of
photographic emulsions. Most of the world’s silver goes into making
photographic films. Silver deposits are often mixed with ores of
lead, zinc and copper. They may also contain white quartz.
Silver is
very ductile and malleable and is a good conductor of electricity
and heat. It is a very easy metal to work with. An ounce of silver
can be drawn into a wire that can stretch to a distance of 30 miles.
German
silver or nickel silver is an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc. It
is widely used for making cheap jewelry and as the base metal for
silver plating. German silver products generally have the letters
EPNS on them. These letters stand for electroplated nickel silver.
Find silver as a finished product at silver jewelry stores online. This amazingly versatile metal, make beautiful pieces, which are always appreciated as gifts. So whether you are looking for silver bracelets or sterling silver rings you can find all sizes and styles. |
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