Appearance
Silver has a brilliant white metallic lustre, with a characteristic sheen.

Source
Silver occurs native in ores such as Argentite and Horn Silver, but the principal sources are Lead, Lead-Zinc, Copper, Gold and Copper-Nickel ores. Canada and the USA are the main Silver producers in the Western hemisphere. The metal is recovered from th eore, or during the electrolytic refining of Copper.

Uses
Sterling Silver contains 92.5% Silver, the remainder being Copper or some other metal, and is used for jewellery and silverware where appearance is important. About 30% of Silver produced is used in the photographic industry, mostly as Silver (I) nitrate. Silver is used in dental alloys, solder and brazing alloys, electrical contacts and batteries. Silver paints are used for making printed circuits. The metal is used to make mirrors as it is the best reflector of visible light known, though it does tarnish with time.

General Information
Silver is stable to water and Oxygen but is attacked by Sulphur compounds in air to form a black sulphide layer. It dissolves in Sulphuric and Nitric acids. It is a little harder than Gold and is extremely ductile and malleable. Pure Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals, and has the lowest contact resistance.

Silver is a suspected carcinogen. Silver compounds can be absorbed in the circulatory system and reduced Silver deposited in various organs. This results in a greyish pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes, known as Argyria. Silver has germicidal effects - it can kill lower organisms quite effectively.