About 5,000 years ago humans first found silver. A transition metal, silver's chemical symbol is AG and comes from the Latin for silver, argentums. Seolfor is the Anglo-Saxon word that our word silver is derived from.

On the periodic table, silver's atomic number is 47 and its atomic weight is 107.8682. The element contains 47 protons/electrons and 61 neutrons. Silver will melt at 1763.20° Fahrenheit (961.78° Celsius) and it will boil at 3924° F (2162° C). Silver is a solid at room temperature. An excellent reflector of light, pure silver, of all the known metals, is also the best conductor of heat and electricity.

There is archeological evidence that suggests silver was being mined and separated from lead as early as 3,000 B.C. in Asia Minor. Silver is commonly found mixed with other ores, including copper and gold. The metal is also found in nature.

Today about 9,950 tons of silver are mined annually. Primary silver producers in the western hemisphere include the United States and Canada, as well as several Central and South American countries.

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