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Silver, alongside gold, is one of the most common precious metals for investors to purchase and diversify their portfolios. Silver is a great gateway metal investment because, like gold, silver holds its value well, but is much more abundant in the earth’s crust, pricing silver lower than gold. Silver can be stacked in any quantity from small to large because of its cheap cost, but there are many more uses for silver other than investing! Silver is also valued for its decorative beauty, electrical conductivity, malleability, and oxidation resistance. Here are some interesting applications of silver in different industries:
Photography used to be the number one use of silver before we transitioned to digital cameras to capture everyday moments. Silver is a light-sensitive material that can capture images on film well and photographic paper contains silver to create a visible image. Silver bromide is a critical component needed to develop photographs since it is sensitive to light and creates a photographic emulsion when exposed to sunlight to develop photographs.
Silver is a highly reflective metal, more so than its yellow cousin gold, making it the ideal material to create mirrors for optical applications. From household bathroom mirrors to mirror systems in the Hubble Space Telescope from NASA, silver is a key component to making surfaces reflective as silver can reflect up to 95% of visible light. Aluminum is also used in mirrors but it is slightly less reflective, reflecting 90% of visible light. Silver is attached to mirrors through silvering, coating a non-conductive substance like glass with a reflective substance like silver to create a mirror that can reflect light. A tiny portion of silver is poured or electroplated to cover the glass and create a reflective surface.
Silver has a long history of being used as part of medicine due to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Even before doctors and the general population understood how silver worked, it was used to prevent the growth and spread of dangerous bacteria. Some applications include dropping silver coins in water and wine barrels to keep liquid fresh on long journeys. Physicians would use silver nitrate eye drops to prevent infection in newborns and soldiers in WWI and WWII would wrap their wounds with silver foils to prevent diseases from bacteria. In modern medicine, silver coatings are still used in medical devices such as bandages to dress wounds, to treat burns, and catheter tubes because of their antimicrobial properties. It has been discovered that silver ions can penetrate the cell walls of bacteria without affecting human cells to destroy the structure of bacteria from the inside.
The electronics industry is one of the fastest growing uses of silver and it is not a surprise as silver is one of the most conductive metals in the world. It has unique electrical and thermal conductivity properties which makes it an ideal component to conduct electricity and heat in electronic devices. Lots of electronics rely on silver paste to conduct electricity and if the device has an on/off switch, it is likely made out of silver. Silver membrane is used for switches in telephones, keyboards, and televisions because it’s highly reliable and doesn’t corrode. Circuit boards for items such as mobile phones and computers also contain silver as an electrical conductor. Silver is also used to make solar panels that carry electrical currents, and the widespread use of silver gives it immense value.
The last but not surprising use of silver is for jewellery. You can find silver applied in a variety of different jewellery applications such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings. Silver is a non-corrosive and durable metal, ensuring that silver jewellery is built to last for a lifetime. Silver is also hypoallergenic and affordable, making it an ideal choice for wearers with sensitive skin on a budget. Silver is malleable enough and can be formed in a variety of shapes and resized if you wish to customize your jewellery further.
In conclusion, silver is a versatile metal much like gold that has a wide variety of uses outside of investing. If you’re curious about how gold can be used, read more about gold usage in our previous post!
Silver, alongside gold, is one of the most common precious metals for investors to purchase and diversify their portfolios. Silver is a great gateway metal investment because, like gold, silver holds its value well, but is much more abundant in the earth’s crust, pricing silver lower than gold. Silver can be stacked in any quantity from small to large because of its cheap cost, but there are many more uses for silver other than investing! Silver is also valued for its decorative beauty, electrical conductivity, malleability, and oxidation resistance. Here are some interesting applications of silver in different industries:
Photography used to be the number one use of silver before we transitioned to digital cameras to capture everyday moments. Silver is a light-sensitive material that can capture images on film well and photographic paper contains silver to create a visible image. Silver bromide is a critical component needed to develop photographs since it is sensitive to light and creates a photographic emulsion when exposed to sunlight to develop photographs.
Silver is a highly reflective metal, more so than its yellow cousin gold, making it the ideal material to create mirrors for optical applications. From household bathroom mirrors to mirror systems in the Hubble Space Telescope from NASA, silver is a key component to making surfaces reflective as silver can reflect up to 95% of visible light. Aluminum is also used in mirrors but it is slightly less reflective, reflecting 90% of visible light. Silver is attached to mirrors through silvering, coating a non-conductive substance like glass with a reflective substance like silver to create a mirror that can reflect light. A tiny portion of silver is poured or electroplated to cover the glass and create a reflective surface.
Silver has a long history of being used as part of medicine due to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Even before doctors and the general population understood how silver worked, it was used to prevent the growth and spread of dangerous bacteria. Some applications include dropping silver coins in water and wine barrels to keep liquid fresh on long journeys. Physicians would use silver nitrate eye drops to prevent infection in newborns and soldiers in WWI and WWII would wrap their wounds with silver foils to prevent diseases from bacteria. In modern medicine, silver coatings are still used in medical devices such as bandages to dress wounds, to treat burns, and catheter tubes because of their antimicrobial properties. It has been discovered that silver ions can penetrate the cell walls of bacteria without affecting human cells to destroy the structure of bacteria from the inside.
The electronics industry is one of the fastest growing uses of silver and it is not a surprise as silver is one of the most conductive metals in the world. It has unique electrical and thermal conductivity properties which makes it an ideal component to conduct electricity and heat in electronic devices. Lots of electronics rely on silver paste to conduct electricity and if the device has an on/off switch, it is likely made out of silver. Silver membrane is used for switches in telephones, keyboards, and televisions because it’s highly reliable and doesn’t corrode. Circuit boards for items such as mobile phones and computers also contain silver as an electrical conductor. Silver is also used to make solar panels that carry electrical currents, and the widespread use of silver gives it immense value.
The last but not surprising use of silver is for jewellery. You can find silver applied in a variety of different jewellery applications such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings. Silver is a non-corrosive and durable metal, ensuring that silver jewellery is built to last for a lifetime. Silver is also hypoallergenic and affordable, making it an ideal choice for wearers with sensitive skin on a budget. Silver is malleable enough and can be formed in a variety of shapes and resized if you wish to customize your jewellery further.
In conclusion, silver is a versatile metal much like gold that has a wide variety of uses outside of investing. If you’re curious about how gold can be used, read more about gold usage in our previous post!
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