Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126871368" class="extiw" title="d:Q126871368"><span title="photographer from the United States">Darla Sondrol</span></a></bdi> (CC0)
cubicuncommonNative Elements
Silver
Ag
This specimen features tarnished native silver, which appears blocky and granular, on a quartz matrix. The overall specimen measures 6 cm across.
Silver Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
2.5Crystal System
cubicLuster
metallicStreak Color
silver-white, shinyCleavage
noneFracture
hacklySpecific Gravity
10.4Colors
silver-white, grey, black, brownTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Kongsberg (Norway), Freiberg (Germany), Cobalt (Canada), Potosí (Bolivia)Mineral Group
Native ElementsUses
jewelry, coinage, industrial, photography, electronics, investmentAssociated Minerals
quartz, calcite, argentite, galena, sphaleriteRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Native silver typically forms in hydrothermal veins, often associated with other sulfide minerals, and can also occur in the oxidized zones of silver deposits. While historically a significant ore, most silver today comes from other silver-bearing minerals.
