Know a few things about Silver.
1. Where does silver come from?
Silver is a beautiful metal with a brilliant white shine. It is found naturally with gold. It is also found in rocks in combination with other metals such as copper and lead. These rocks are called ores. (For example, you can say silver is often found in copper and lead ores). It is a soft metal but still harder than gold. Most of the silver in the world comes from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Russia, Australia. More than 95% of the silver is used for industrial and decorative uses, for example, Photography and jewelry and silverware.
Fast-Fact :
Did you know the words for silver and the money are the same in fourteen languages?
2. Did you know that the country Argentina is named after a chemical element? Any guesses what is the name of this element?
In Latin, silver is called Argentum. its chemical symbol, Age, is derived from this name itself. Argentins is the only country that is named after chemical element. It is because silver is found here in abundance. Argentina adopted the name after it got its independence from spain in 1815. Before this, it was called the viceroyalty of Rio de la name. The word Argentum also has its roots with the Sanskrit word Arjuna which means white.
3. What makes silver so special?
* Next to gold, it is the second most malleable and ductile metal on Earth.
* Silver’s whiteness makes it the most reflective of all the elements. When it is polished, it can reflected almost 100 percent if the light. This makes it the best element for making mirrors used in telescopes.
* It has amazing medicinal properties. It’s a natural antibiotic and kills bacteria. Because of silver’s germ-killing properties, It was considered that children who were fed with silver spoons were typically healthier babies.
* Silver is also utilized in batteries for portable surgical tools, hearing aids and space travel.
* A chemical made from silver(silver idodide) is often used in making artificial clouds to produce rain. This process is called cloud seeding. Oh! wait? There is another thing that makes silver very special. The word silver is one of the few words in English Language that is nearby impossible to rythme.
5. What is Sterling silver?
It is the name to a special silver that is not 100% silver. Sterling silver is only 92.5% silver. It is added with other metals, usually copper to give it more strength. It is often used for jewellery, silverware and decorations.
