What is silver, how did it originate and where does it come from?

Silver is a chemical element with symbol Ag and atomic number 47. Silver is slightly harder than gold and features a white luster. In addition, silver has the best electrical conductivity of all metals and the lowest transition resistance, better than copper and gold. Finally, silver conducts heat best of all metals and has the highest optical reflectance.

Mining silver

Silver can be acquired from pure deposits, from silver ores such as argenite (Ag2S) and horn silver (AgCl), and in combination with the deposits of ores containing lead, gold or copper.
Most silver used to be obtained (4000-3500 BC) from melting and oxidising the silver sulphide argentite using air. This was usually alloyed with lead or other metals. Smelting ensured that the lead or other metals present, were removed.
Silver is less rare than gold. For silver is not only mined as pure silver. There are also silver minerals in which silver forms a compound with sulphur or arsenic. These minerals are also mined and the silver is extracted. Consequently, silver is a lot cheaper than gold. Silver used to be widely used in coins. Nowadays, nickel is used in coins as a silver substitute. Silver is not only used in jewellery; utensils such as cutlery, coffee pots, dishes, photo frames and decorative objects are also made from silver. Silver is also an indispensable mineral in the photo industry and electronic devices.

The sources of silver

Although silver is relatively scarce, it is the most abundant and least expensive of the precious metals. The largest silver-producing countries are Mexico, Peru, the United States, Australia and Chile. Sources of silver include; directly mined silver, silver mined as a by-product of gold, copper, lead and zinc mining, and silver mined from recycled materials, mainly used photographic materials. Today, silver bullion stocks are an important part of the silver supply. The American Eagle Bullion programme was launched in 1986 with the sale of gold and silver bullion coins. Platinum was added to the American Eagle Bullion family in 1997.
At The Silver Mountain, you have come to the right place to buy silver. We are the first dealer in the Netherlands to offer silver investment coins. In doing so, we offer an alternative to silver bars that are taxed with 21% VAT in the Netherlands and are therefore not interesting for private investors.
Disclaimer: The Silver Mountain does not provide investment advice and this article should not be considered as such. Past results offer no guarantees for the future.