Native silver is prized for its spectacular dendritic and wire-like crystal habits that form in hydrothermal veins. Specimens often tarnish to a dull gray or black over time, but can be cleaned to reveal a brilliant silver-white metallic luster.
Is this native silver?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch native silver with a known reference. Native Silver sits at Mohs 2.5-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: silver-white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver-white, tarnish to gray or black, gray white, gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: arborescent, dendritic, massive.
Often confused with
Native Silver vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Native Silver leaves silver-white, Tetrahedrite leaves black to brown.
How to tell apart: Arsenopyrite is the harder of the two (Mohs 5.5-6 vs. 2.5-3); streak differs, so Native Silver leaves silver-white, Arsenopyrite leaves black.
Often found alongside native silver
Minerals reported to co-occur with native silver. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ag
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5-3
- Density
- 10.1-11.1 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Silver-white
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Arborescent, dendritic, massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- A primary hydrothermal mineral, also formed by secondary processes, especially in the oxidized portions of mineral deposits
Where rockhounds find native silver
Classic worldwide localities
- Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton and Keweenaw Cos., Michigan, USA
- Aspen, Pitkin Co., and from Creede, Mineral Co., Colorado, USA
- Silver King mine, Pinal Co., Arizona, USA
- Freiberg and Marienberg, Saxony, and at St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Germany
- Exceptionally developed at Kongsberg, Norway
- Příbram and Jáchymov (Joachimsthal), Czech Republic
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A primary hydrothermal mineral, also formed by secondary processes, especially in the oxidized portions of mineral deposits. If you start seeing acanthite, chlorargyrite, embolite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: arborescent, dendritic, massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find native silver on the map
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