Native silver specimen

Wikimedia Commons

Native silver

Native elements

Specimen Details

  • Hardness (Mohs): 2.5–3
  • Chemical Formula: Ag
  • Crystal System: Isometric
  • Size: Specimen size varies; record the piece, not the species

Native silver is metallic silver, formula Ag. Fresh surfaces are bright white, but they tarnish dark gray or black in air. That tarnish is the simplest field difference from native gold.

Hardness is about 2.5 to 3. Crystals are isometric, but wires, curls, and hackly masses are more common than sharp cubes. It occurs in hydrothermal veins, often with calcite, quartz, or other silver minerals.

This page is only for native silver, not for argentite, acanthite, or silver-bearing galena.

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