Sparkling Secrets: Top 12 Fun Facts About Silver You Never Knew

1. Silverware: The Ultimate Werewolf Slayer

Forget the garlic and holy water - silverware is your secret werewolf slayer: Silver has long been used as an ancient cure against evil, said to be the most effective method in destroying werewolves. It boasts mythical poison-like properties on their blood and moon-inspired connection that neutralizes lycanthropic infections.
Source => blog.providentmetals.com

2. Tarnished Omelettes: Boiled Eggs and Silversmith Secrets

You know what they say, you can't make an omelette without tarnishing some silver: A well-guarded secret of silversmiths is that boiling eggs releases sulfur from their whites, which in turn reacts with the silver, creating a beautifully blackened patina for an antique and distinctive look.
Source => knockoffdecor.com

Did you know that gold, the "king of metals" among alchemists, can actually be dissolved by a special mixture called aqua regia? Dive in to discover more interesting facts about this noble and resistant metal! 🏆✨

=> Fun Facts about Gold

3. Olympic Medals: Mexico's Silver Heavyweight Champion

If silver medals at the Olympics had a country, it would take the gold for having the most silver: Mexico is the undisputed heavyweight champion of silver production, churning out a whopping 5,600 metric tons of the shiny stuff in 2021 alone! Other top silver producers like Peru, China, and Russia trail behind, while Australia sits on the third-largest reserve of the precious metal.
Source => investopedia.com

4. Ancient Egypt's Undervalued Sparkle: Silver vs Gold

Why did the ancient Egyptian cross the road? To cash in on their silver stash, of course! Little did they know, their pursuit of precious metals was worth less than their golden dreams: In ancient Egypt, silver was actually valued less than gold, a fact evident in temple inscriptions. Despite this surprising twist, silver maintained its shiny status, being used extensively for personal ornaments and cult objects into the era of Roman rule.
Source => metmuseum.org

5. Silver Hide-and-Seek: Mining and Alloys

Silver: the versatile VIP guest crashing the parties of lead, zinc, and copper mining soirees, and secretly hiding out in alloys like electrum, an ancient currency superstar. In the past, silver mining required a maze-like underground penthouse of tunnels and chambers to help our shiny friend play hide-and-seek: Nearly half of the world's silver is extracted as a byproduct when mining other metals, while Mexico, Peru, Poland, Norway, Canada, and the United States lead in annual production, with Arizona, Montana, Nevada, and Idaho rocking the charts as America's silver mining states.
Source => coinworld.com

6. Gold Medal Lies: Olympic Victory in Disguise

One may say Olympic gold medals are going through an 'identity crisis': As per the International Olympic Committee, these coveted rewards are actually composed of 92.5 percent silver, with only a delicate plating of about 6 grams of pure gold, leaving them with a cumulative value of approximately $758. So, instead of calling them "fool's gold," it seems more fitting to call them "silver with a golden glow"!
Source => nytimes.com

7. Silver's Weather Control: The Cloud Seeding Ensemble

You might have thought silver was just for werewolf repellent and fancy tableware, but this metal has even dabbled with Mother Nature's job: Silver iodide is commonly used for cloud seeding, a process in which particles are dispersed into clouds to modify their microphysical processes, influencing precipitation or halting it in the days that follow.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Silver's Slow Romance: Swipe Right for Tarnish-free Love

If silver had a Tinder profile, it might read: "Must love museums and dislike eggs" – Swipe right for slow tarnishing romance: Silver retains its shiny appearance longer in a museum setting, where sulfur-containing gases are minimal, taking months or even years to tarnish; however, in the presence of freshly hard-boiled eggs, it succumbs to tarnishing within minutes due to a higher concentration of hydrogen sulfide gas.
Source => canada.ca

9. Egypt's Silver-licious Obsession: The OG A-list Metal

Before "silver linings" were a thing, ancient Egyptians were going gaga over, well, silver: It turns out that this precious metal was even more highly prized than gold, perhaps because our ancestors enjoyed a bit of silver-screen A-list glamor in their lives. The serious reveal: Despite silver's susceptibility to corrosion and scarcity in local geological resources, it was widely used for personal ornaments and cult objects in ancient Egypt, dating back to the early Middle Kingdom around 2030-1650 B.C., even making cameo appearances on temple inscriptions as the star of the show.
Source => metmuseum.org

10. Nano-Healthcare: Silver's Germ-fighting Antimicrobial Upgrade

Who says medical devices can't stay silver and slay germs while they're at it? Party like a nano star: silver is used in nanotechnology to create antimicrobial agents that prevent infections on medical devices, making them safer and more effective. Silver sulfadiazine, anyone?
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

11. Silver's Thermally Conductive Heart of Gold: Electrical Maestro

Silver truly has a "heart of gold" when it comes to conducting the heatwave symphony of the elemental orchestra, providing a thermally charged dance floor fit for Vulcan himself: This brilliant element takes the lead in electrical, thermal conductivity and light reflectance, making it an essential component in lightning-fast devices, sun-kissed solar panels, and mirror-like reflections that would make Narcissus forget himself.
Source => thoughtco.com

12. The Shiny Vintage Photobomb: Silver's Daguerreotype Debut

Silver's secret career as a pioneering photography model: the daguerreotype — history's first selfie machine — relied on silver-coated copper plates to create mind-blowing, one-of-a-kind images that floated on a shiny surface. The serious reveal: This early photographic method by Louis Daguerre demanded a polished silver surface for light exposure and image preservation, keeping silver in the spotlight of photography up until digital camera divas stole the show in the late 20th century.
Source => statecollege.com