Silver is pretty, white and shiny.
- Silver is harder than gold but softer than copper, and is approximately 2.5 on the hardness Mohs Scale.
- Silver conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal.
- Silver is one of the only materials that absorbs oxygen, which enables it to rid substances of germs and bacteria.
- Silver can be beaten into sheets, drawn into threads and modelled.
- The alloy, mixture of chemical elements, of silver is called electrum.
- The main producers of silver are currently Peru, Bolivia and Mexico.
- Silver in its natural state can be found mixed with gold or other ores like copper, zinc or lead, and is rarely found without contaminants.
- Sterling silver is the mix of 7.5% copper with silver.
- Silver was popularly used in many ancient coins, and is now used in medical equipment, some medicines, jewellery, silverware, medals and in the photography industry.
- Silver is currently worth $32.13 Australian dollars per ounce.
Bibliography:
Blackwood, A 1979, Gold and Silver, Wayland Publishers Limited, England
Silver 20 November 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver>
