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History
of Silver
A major watershed of silver production was the discovery
of the New World in 1492, after which time major silver
mines in Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru were opened leading
to a rapid rise in the annual world production of
silver. This rise, coupled with improved techniques for
extracting silver from ore, broadened both the quality
and quantity of ore that could be exploited. Later
improvements, particularly in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, vastly enhanced the base of silver
production and accelerated the exploitation of silver as
a byproduct of base-metal mining.
Only about 25 percent of cumulative world silver
production occurred before the 1770s. Records remain
somewhat incomplete for the periods before 1900, however
they play a critical part in determining cumulative
historical production. To learn more, select from the
following periods of time. Material adapted in part from
the Silver Institute's Stocks of Silver Around the World
publication.
Legal Disclaimer:
The above information has been sited from The Silver
Institute; please visit
www.silverinstitute.org to know more about
silver. The Silver Institute is a nonprofit
international association that draws its membership from
across the breadth of the silver industry. This includes
leading silver mining houses, refiners, bullion
suppliers, and manufacturers of silver products and
wholesalers of silver investment products. Established
in 1971, the Institute serves as the industry's voice in
increasing public understanding of the many uses and
values of silver. |
