Along with gold and copper, silver has been among the earliest metals used in early civilizations. Prehistoric man discovered the value of silver and fashioned the world's first writing materials out of it. Silver mining began over 5000 years ago in Egypt and Anatolia (present day Turkey). The Spanish mines also provided silver to the Roman Empire, giving the Western world the most valuable metal at that time.
The history of silver production and mining is an interesting one. Silver is one of nature's hardest metals. It takes millions of years to form, and silver tends to have a lower mintage than other metals which are mined faster. With silver, the old fashioned mine veins tend to be more abundant. There is a silver price chart that shows the historic silver production and mining cost, and is a great way to keep track of the price changes.
The silver price chart shows a daily price range that is dependent on the supply and demand of silver. The price of silver per ounce tends to follow the price of gold, as well. The American silver market follows the price of the American dollar very closely, as well. There is a break on Friday, as the US government released its inflation figures for the last quarter of a year.
Gold is the most widely traded precious metal. On a fundamental level, there is no better investment than precious metals. Gold has an intrinsic value, which increases with the dollar as it becomes more valuable. Unlike silver, gold does not need to be produced in order to be used as money. Thus, the price of gold is relatively stable in relation to silver prices.
In order to get an understanding of the silver price history, it's necessary to examine the relationship between the prices of silver and gold. Silver is used to make batteries, as well as other electronic products. The price of silver is very tied to the price of gold. When the price of gold increases, so does the price of silver. However, when the dollar loses value versus gold, the price of silver usually increases as well.
For an investor looking for a safe haven investment, the price of silver fits the bill. Commodity silver suppliers generally set the price of silver in terms of gold at a fixed rate. This ensures that investors who purchase silver will always have a source of security that their investment will not fall victim to inflation. The relationship between gold and silver prices is quite simple.
The relationship between silver prices and the gold-silver ratio, however, is not as clear as the price of silver. This ratio looks closely related to the price of gold, but since the price of gold is determined by supply and demand, it cannot accurately be studied in the same way as silver prices can. Gold and silver prices are both determined by supply and demand, but supply and demand are also influenced by the economy of a country in particular. When the economy of a country declines, so does the price of gold. When the economy is growing strong, the price of silver increases.
If you're an investor interested in buying silver, it's important to remember that even the relationship between the gold-silver ratio and silver prices is not constant. Trends in the price of silver may fluctuate out of control from time to time. In addition, economic conditions in countries other than the United States can affect silver prices. For this reason, it's important to do your own research on the silver market and the relationship between silver prices and the gold-silver ratio. With a little work, you should be able to figure out what the trend of silver prices is and if it's going to affect your investments in silver.