What Is Silver and How Is It Made?

Silver has been a precious metal for humanity since ancient times. Although it was discovered after gold and copper, it has preserved its importance until today. If you ask how this mineral is found in nature, it is located in a small amount and quite deep. When we look at the history of the silver mine, which is known for its white and bright structure, we see that it dates back to 3000 BC. It was first used by the Egyptians, then the Chinese and Persians. In the 700s BC, silver began to be used as money by the Lydians. When we come to today, we see that silver is used in many areas.

How Is Silver Formed, How Is It Extracted, And How Is It Obtained?

Silver It has been separated from its ores by many different methods from past to present. The oldest and most common of these methods is mixing with lead. In this method, silver is melted with lead in an oven and a silver-lead mixture is obtained. Thus, the production of pure silver is carried out. Another method is the so-called amalgamation method. First, silver ore is turned into mud and mixed with salt and mercury to form silver.

How Does Silver Occur and Where Is It Found?

Silver is a substance that is often found in the same places as gold. It is also often found in the same places with substances such as lead, zinc, tin, copper. This precious metal; It is found in igneous rocks, limestones, claystones, soil, plants, fresh water and even seas. When we look at the areas where silver is most abundant, we see that there are places where volcanic eruptions occur. The west coasts of North and South America in the world meet approximately 60% of silver production. When we look at the silver production in Turkey, Kutahya Gumuskoy comes to the fore.

What Kind of Substance Is Silver?

Silver, a precious metal with a shiny, white color; rarely found in nature. It is harder than gold and softer than copper. When all metals are considered, we see that silver is the whitest metal. Therefore, it has a unique reflective surface. Silver element, which has a soft structure among its features, is generally used by mixing with copper, and it has a very common use in the jewelery sector thanks to its soft structure.

How is Silver Produced and Processed?

Silver mine processed by many traditional and technological methods; bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, belts, home decoration products, etc. appears in the form. It is seen that silver embroidery, which is called filigree and savat, which is considered as handicraft in Turkey, is also processed with technological possibilities today.

What Are the Types of Silver?

When we look at the jewelry industry, two types of silver come to the fore: sterling silver and pure silver. It is expected that sterling silver mixed with other metals to a certain extent should contain at least 92.5% silver. The remaining 7.5% contains metals such as zinc, copper, platinum and boron. This type of silver is called 925 sterling silver in the industry. Pure silver type is used less in the sector. The feature of this type; It contains 99.9% pure silver.

How Is Silver Color Formed?

Silver mine in its natural state It has a white and bright color. In the jewelry industry, the use of natural color is generally preferred. In some jewelry, it is also seen that silver is covered with rose color.