What does silver look like?

[cali209]

Im working an area that suposedly has silver but not sure what it looks like in the rough...

We have lots of lead from bullets as well as mercury in the area...so curious if silver looks like lead when found...or is it shiny like gold?

Thanks

 

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[Functional]

Im working an area that suposedly has silver but not sure what it looks like in the rough...

We have lots of lead from bullets as well as mercury in the area...so curious if silver looks like lead when found...or is it shiny like gold?

Thanks

Silver is rarely shiny and more often than not its near black, or gray, (sometimes similar to lead in color). Like gold, depending on what the silver might be alloyed with, it can be red, or green in color. I have seen some samples of silver that actually looked silver in color and were in the form of rounded nodules about 1/4" round, clumped together in bunches. Most anything you find of potential value, so far as precious metals are concerned, will be identifiable by basic tests which include observing the characteristics of the material, (color and crystal formations), performing a streak test using porcelain , harness test and acid tests. And if your equipped for it in the field, you can also do specific gravity testing.

Try these links for some images of silver ore:
http://www.galleries.com/scripts/item.exe?LIST+Minerals+Elements+Silver
http://images.google.ca/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=silver+ore&btnG=Search+Images


F.

 

[flyspekau]

I believe I found a small mass of silver a few weeks ago , rounded nodules about 1/4" round, clumped together in bunches that describes it best looking under scope. We did a 10% nitric acid test looking to see if it was mirc on gold and it tarnished the nugget almost black.

I will try to get some pics the piece is very small had problems getting good will try again later

 

[djui5]

Native Silver found in the field That's my hand.

 

[Sky_Warrior]

This is what it looks like nuggets come of rocks and this was cut of copper ore

 

[rmptr]

Yup, silver and copper are known to run together!

rmptr