The ultimate guide to silver

SILVER Thinking about investing in silver? Here's your essential guide to the history, culture and science of one of the most remarkable metals known to man. . The Periodic Table lists elements in order of atomic weight. At 47 on the table, silver is represented by 'Ag' from argentum, the Latin description for white, shiny metal. . Silver is one of the seven so-called 'metals of antiquity' which mankind identified and found uses for thousands of years ago. . First mined around 3,000 BC in a region now part of Turkey, silver was originally refined by the process of 'cupellation', which uses high temperatures to oxidize and remove base metal impurities. . Because of its resistance to oxidation and corrosion, silver was known as a 'noble' metal, a group which includes gold and platinum. . Soft enough for early craftsmen to work into intricate patterns, silver was ideal for making ornate objects. In fact, it can be stretched into wire thinner than a human hair. . Adding to the attraction of silver as ornamentation, it is one of the most lustrous of all metals when polished. . As well as its long association with jewellery, silver has been used in the manufacture of cutlery and tableware since Roman times. . Sterling silver was invented in the Middle Ages. It contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usua...

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