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Silver (Native)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  Ag  [Elemental Silver]

Discovered in Prehistory;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Silver is named from an Old English word for the metal soelfer, related to the German silber and the Dutch zilver; the chemical symbol (Ag) is from the Latin argentum.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Elements

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

1/A.01-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

1.AA.05

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
A : Copper-cupalite family

Related to:

Copper Group. Gold - Silver Series. Palladium - Silver Series.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Isometric - Hexoctahedral

Crystal Habit:

Crystals commonly cubic, octahedral, or dodecahedral, to 2 cm; in parallel groups; more commonly as elongated, wiry, arborescent, or reticulated forms. Massive, in scales, sheets, and as coatings.

Twinning:

On [111] as simple pairs and repeated in aggregates radiating along [111] axes.

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

None

Fracture:

Hackly, Jagged

Tenacity:

Highly Malleable and Ductile

Hardness (Mohs):

2.5 - 3.0

Density:

10.1 - 11.1 (g/cm³) (10.5 when pure)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Highly Conductive; Paramagnetic (weakly attracted to very strong magnetic fields)

Optical Properties

Color:

Silver White, Gray White, Gray; tarnishes Gray to Black; in polished section, brilliant Silver-White

Transparency:

Opaque

Luster:

Metallic

Refractive Index:

R: (400) 83.4, (420) 84.5, (440) 86.0, (460) 87.7, (480) 89.1, (500) 90.5, (520) 91.8, (540) 93.0, (560) 93.5, (580) 93.7, (600) 94.0, (620) 94.4, (640) 94.7, (660) 95.2, (680) 95.6, (700) 96.0

Birefringence:

0.00 (Opaque)

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A primary hydrothermal mineral, also formed by secondary processes, especially in the oxidized portions of mineral deposits.

Common Associations:

Acanthite, Chlorargyrite, Copper, Embolite, Gold, Silver Sulfosalts

Common Impurities:

Au, Bi, Cu, Fe, Hg, Sb

Type Locality:

Unknown; Prehistoric

Year Discovered:

Prehistic

View mineral photos:

Silver Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Silver is a native element and precious metal and has long been prized for its beauty and workability. Silver has been used by mankind for jewelry and coins for thousands of years. In the last hundred years, Silver has been in high demand for its use in the photography industry because of its reactivity to light.

Native Silver is relatively rare and most Silver is produced from Silver-bearing minerals such as Proustite, Pyrargyrite and Galena. Native Silver is often found as curved "wires" that make for very interesting specimen collecting.

There are many localities worldwide for fine Silver specimens including Cobalt, Ontario, Canada; Chile; Germany; and in the USA in Arizona, Colorado and Michigan.
 

  
Native Silver gems for sale:

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