|
|
|
|
| - A -
|
| Ag
|
| Chemical symbol of silver, from its Latin name “Argentum.”
|
| Alloy
|
| A substance having metallic properties and combined by the fusion or diffusion of two or more chemical elements, of which at least one is an elemental metal. Silver with a purity less than .999 is an alloy.
|
| Argent
|
| English term used for silver, based on Latin term “Argentum."
|
| Asked price
|
| The price sellers expect to receive.
|
| Assay
|
| Analytical test or trial to ascertain the fineness, or purity, and consistency of precious and other metals
|
| - B -
|
| Base metals
|
| Metals that are not noble or precious and serve as a base for any object clad or covered with precious metals.
|
| Bid price
|
| The price buyers are willing to pay.
|
| Bullion
|
| Precious metals in the form of bars, wafers, ingots or coins in tradable form of .995 purity or finer.
|
| Bull Market
|
| A market where prices are rising or expected to rise.
|
| Bullion Coin
|
| A precious metal coin traded at the current bullion price.
|
| - C -
|
| Cash Market or Price
|
| The physical commodity or the price required for immediate settlement. Also known as "spot price."
|
| Commercial Silver
|
| Silver that is .999 fine (99.9%) or higher, usually sold and shipped in 1000 oz. bars.
|
| Commodity(ies)
|
| Raw materials that can be bought and sold.
|
| - D -
|
| Ductility
|
| The capacity of a metal to be hammered into a thin sheet or drawn into a fine wire without breaking.
|
| - E -
|
| Exchange
|
| A place where business is carried on by brokers; generally refers to one of the major stock or commodity exchanges.
|
| Exploration
|
| The prospecting, diamond drilling or other work involved in searching for ore.
|
| - F -
|
| Fabricator
|
| A company which makes fabricated or semi-fabricated products such as wire, cable, tubes, strip, rods, etc. from refined metals and occasionally from scrap.
|
| Fineness
|
| A measure of the purity equal to the number of parts of pure silver in 1000 parts of the alloy; represents the purity of precious metals, either in monetary or bullion form.
|
| Fine Ounce
|
| A troy ounce of "pure" precious metal.
|
| Fine Silver
|
| Pure silver whereby 1000 parts fine or 999.5 parts (or higher) per 1000 parts silver.
|
| Fine Weight
|
| The actual weight of the pure gold or silver contained in a coin, ingot or bar with a precious metal content, determined by multiplying the gross weight by the fineness, as opposed to the item's total weight, which includes the weight of the alloy.
|
| Fix or Fixing
|
| The setting of the precious metals prices once each day by the authorized dealers in London, England. The set prices are used by authorizied dealers to buy and sell precious metals for their clients.
|
| - G -
|
| Gold/Silver Ratio
|
| The number of ounces of silver that can be bought with one ounce of gold.
|
| Good Delivery Bar
|
| A silver or gold bar that meets the 'good delivery' requirements of the London Bullion Market Association. Good delivery bars are the medium for international trading.
|
| Gram
|
| A unit of weight that forms the basis for the metric system of weights. Using grams is a convenient way of converting between the Troy system and the Avoirdupois system. There are 28 grams in an Avoirdupois ounce and 31.103 grams in a Troy ounce.
|
| Grain
|
| (1) One of the earliest units of weight in which one grain was the equivalent of a grain of wheat taken from the middle of the ear. (2) Spherical particles of silver grain widely sold in the jewelry trade for alloying, made by pouring molten silver into water.
|
| - H -
|
| Hallmark
|
| A stamped symbol on silver objects guaranteeing that the metal conforms to certain legal quality standards. also showing place of origin.
|
| - I -
|
| Ingot
|
| A mass of silver or gold cast in a mold, or stamped from sheet.
|
| - L -
|
| London Price
|
| See "Fix or Fixing."
|
| - M -
|
| Malleable
|
| The property of metals being deprived of form, accepting deformation under pressure, hammering or rolling without breaking.
|
| Mine Production
|
| The content of usable ore-concentrates produced from a mine.
|
| Mining
|
| The extraction of economically important minerals and ores from the earth.
|
| - N -
|
| Native silver
|
| Silver found occurring in nature in fairly pure metallic state, notably Norway and Canada.
|
| Nugget
|
| A water-worn piece of precious metal found in nature, usually implying some size
|
| Numismatics
|
| Relating to the hobby or occupation of collecting coins and related items.
|
| - O -
|
| Ore
|
| A native mineral containing a precious or useful metal in such quantities and in such chemical combination as to make its extraction profitable or a mixture of valuable ore minerals and gangue from which at least one of the metals can be extracted for profit
|
| Ounce
|
| See "Troy Ounce."
|
| - P -
|
| Primary silver
|
| Unworked silver, usually bullion or grain, newly recovered from mining operations.
|
| - Q -
|
| Quotation
|
| Price in a market; not necessarily the purchase or sale price, but an indication of market levels.
|
| - R -
|
| Refining
|
| The process of removing the precious metals from the alloying metals to improve the purity of the precious metals.
|
| Refinery
|
| Facility where precious metals are refined.
|
| Reserve
|
| The portion of a resource that has been actually discovered, outlined and measured but not yet exploited and which at present is technically and economically feasible.
|
| - S -
|
| Silver
|
| A lustrous, white, malleable and ductile precious metal, with remarkable electrical and thermal, light-reflecting, bacteria-killing, wear resistant, photosensitive and other qualities.
|
| Sterling Silver
|
| Silver of .925 fineness — 92.5 % silver; 7.5% copper. Also called "Standard Silver."
|
| Silver/Gold Ratio
|
| The amount of gold that can be purchased with one ounce of silver.
|
| Silver Plating
|
| A technique which uses electrolysis to coat a base metal product with a thin layer of fine silver.
|
| Silver Solder
|
| A group of alloys containing silver, zinc and copper with at least 10 percent silver used for brazing or joining other metals. Spot Price
|
| Spot Price
|
| The going price of silver or gold in the daily cash market. See "cash price."
|
| Spread
|
| The difference between the bid price and the asked price.
|
| Stockpile
|
| A stock of metals kept by a government for emergencies.
|
| - T -
|
| Troy Ounce or Weight
|
| Ancient French system of weight, taking its name from the medieval trading town of Troyes, France. One troy ounce equals 31.103 grams.
|
| - V -
|
| Vermeil
|
| A coating of pure gold of at least 120 micro-inches, on a solid sterling silver artifact. It looks like gold, but is virtually all solid silver.
|
|
|
