The attractive nature of silver is self evident. It’s been used for thousands of years for many, many things. Interestingly, silver has some traits that standout above all other metals. Did you know silver has?

• The whitest color
• The highest optical reflectivity
• The highest thermal conductivity
• The highest electrical conductivity

Generally speaking, the majority of today's mining operations that produce silver are after much more. Silver occurs with other base metals, like gold, copper, zinc and lead. It's these metals that are typically the thrust of many mines. Silver is just another benefit or byproduct of them.

Obviously, as price adjustments happen with silver the focus or priority of mining it can shift. However, that shifting isn't as much as one would think. Because silver has properties that make it extremely useful in electronics and photography, a significant portion of its demand is driven by needs rather than price.

In recent history, here's a chart showing some of the major events that have resulted in silver price changes:

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