Mineralpedia Details for Silver
Silver
Named likely in relation to the Old English word for the metal, soelfer, and closely related to the German and Dutch words for the metal, silber and zilver, respectively. The chemical symbol, Ag, is from the Latin word argentums, where the root word arg-means “grey” or “shining.” Occurs chiefly in the oxidized zone of ore deposits. Widespread. Crystals usually as thin and thick curled wires, arborescent growths, and as scales sheets and masses, less commonly as cubic, octahedral and dodecahedral crystals. Silver is usually tarnished black. Silver is paramagnetic, and can be magnetically attracted with the application of an external magnetic field.
Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/silver.pdf
- Formula
- Ag
- Crystal System
- Isometric
- Crystal Habit
- Arborescent, Dendritic, Massive
- Cleavage
- None, None, None
- Luster
- Metallic
- Color
- silver white, gray white, gray
- Streak
- silver white
- Class
- Isometric - Hexoctahedral
- Fracture
- Hackly
- Hardness
- 2.5-3
- WebMineral
- View Silver
- Mindat
- View Silver
Silver from Double Rainbow Mine, Galena, Lawrence Co., South Dakota, United States
Curled wires 1cm across with surficially Acanthite alterations and associated with Polybasite.
Silver from Dzhezkazgan mine, Karagandy, Kazakhstan
Wire Silver to 3cm.
Silver from Linqiu, Shanxi Province, China
Curled Silver wires. FOV 4cm.
Silver from Las Chispas mine, Arizpe, Sonora, Mexico
Thick Silver wires. FOV 5cm.
Silver from Cobalt-Gowganda dist., Ontario, Canada
Sheets and massive Silver.
Silver from Cole Shaft, Bisbee, Cochise Co., Arizona, United States
Massive Silver.
Silver from Majuba Hill mine, Pershing Co., Nevada, United States
Silver scales to 1cm.
Silver from Cerro de Pasco, Pasco dept., Peru
- Special Info
- Phillips Collection
Older specimen with dozens of twisted Silver wires throughout matrix and black to silvery micro crystals of Polybasite.
Silver from Pribram, Bohemia, Czech Republic
A 1cm area of wire Silver (with Acanthite overgrowth) associated with deep red Sphalerite, Galena and Siderite.
Silver from Creede, Mineral Co., Colorado, United States
Curly wire Silver thickly filling small open vugs in matrix and longer crystals to 2cm set nicely on matrix.
