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Silver is a good investment. The manner in which you choose to invest will depend upon your risk tolerance and the type of benefit you are looking to secure. Primary opportunities for investment include owning physical silver and investing in silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Each has its particular drawbacks and advantages. A Bit of Background […]

Cloud seeding is one of the most unusual ways silver is used in industry. Silver iodide (AgI), a compound of iodine and silver, is a catalyst that creates optimum conditions within a cloud to produce precipitation. This photosensitive solid was also used in early photography and as an antiseptic in medicine. Although its more modern […]

In April of this year, $20 million worth of gold and other high-value items were stolen from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The gold had arrived on an Air Canada flight from Zurich, Switzerland, was offloaded, and transported to a warehouse location near the airport but outside of its security zone. It went missing soon after, […]

Gold is the quintessential symbol of wealth and status. Throughout history, displaying, adorning oneself with, spending, and stockpiling gold have been the ultimate expressions of power. Gold bathrooms? A matter of taste. Proponents of the gold standard rely on the historic stability of this metal as the rationale for its use as the foundation for […]

The precious metals industry is subject to marketplace fluctuations, political volatility, industrial demands, and consumers’ response to economic instability. In order to brace against these factors and maintain a successful business, precious metals traders often turn to the futures markets to secure their margins—mitigating against both unsustainable gains and devastating losses. Futures markets involve legal […]

The US is, once again, about to hit the debt ceiling. Fundamentally, we have more debt than can be funded with revenue: approximately $31.4 trillion in debt compared to $25.7 trillion in GDP. As a nation, we spend more than we can afford. This a familiar predicament for greater than fifty percent of Americans who […]

The ocean floor is chockablock with shipwrecks. The hunt for these vessels can consume decades of an individual’s or organization’s time and the cost of searching is enormous: boats, submersibles, personnel, equipment, and research are just some of the expenses incurred during underwater exploration. And the worst part is, it may all be for naught. […]

The history of precious metals mining is inextricably linked to the social and economic development and exploration of the world. The use of precious metals for currency originates in ancient times and since then, wealth has fueled the power and expansiveness of kingdoms, nation-states, countries, and individuals. The technology used to extract these precious metals […]

Silver is a remarkable precious metal. It is used in a vast array of products and new applications are being discovered every year. Its beauty and durability make it an obvious choice for jewelry, table settings, and decorative items, but its conductivity, malleability, superior reflective, antibacterial, antifungal, and non-toxic qualities make it a valuable material […]

The gold-silver ratio is the relationship between the price of gold and silver, expressed as the number of ounces of silver required to equal the value of one ounce of gold. As of this writing, the ratio is 85.6:1. The ratio tends to be a reliable barometer for global economic, social, and political stability and, […]