Sterling silver, for example, is 92.5 per cent silver and 7.5 per cent copper. Silver plating is a less expensive way of producing decorative pieces and tableware. In plating, a thin coating of silver is applied through electrolysis to an item made of a cheaper metal. Over time, though, the silver plate wears off and the base metal eventually shows through. Another common use of silver is the coating on glass mirrors.
Silver is also widely used in dentistry and medicine.
The silver needed to meet world demand comes only partly from newly produced metal. In fact, for more than 25 years, the annual mine production around the world has been much lower than annual consumption. Much of it is salvaged and recycled from scrap.