Silver is one of the most abundant metals on the planet. Found and mined nearly everywhere for centuries, silver's beauty and malleability have made it a metalsmith's favorite as silver can be worked into nearly anything imaginable- from jewelry to sculpture and art, to flatware and service dishes, gilding for art and architecture, and more. Today silver is used as a conducter in computers and as an alloy in gold mixes, along with other metals. Pure silver (.999) is too soft for everyday jewelry use, so it is made into Sterling Silver which is 92.5% pure and alloyed with 7.5% copper to enhance strength and durability.
See Also: Gold, Zinc, Copper