# Silver Ore



## cryptic (Feb 12, 2015)

I wanted to share this example of a vein of native silver with the silver sulfide acanthite. Acanthite is a silver sulfide that is 87% silver. This piece weighs 25 lbs. and was found with a metal detector last summer near an old mine that was in production 100 years ago.


----------



## FrugalRefiner (Feb 12, 2015)

I love silver! That's a nice specimen.

Dave


----------



## MarcoP (Feb 13, 2015)

Nice find!!! Near my area there was a silver mine but I couldn't go yet. Now, when time comes, I will know what to look out for.


----------



## Platdigger (Feb 13, 2015)

WOW! I'll second what MarcoP said and add to it, very nice find!


----------



## Emporio (Feb 14, 2015)

What kind of metal detector did you use?


----------



## cryptic (Feb 15, 2015)

Emporio said:


> What kind of metal detector did you use?



Fisher F75. It was detected a couple of feet deep.


----------



## Richard36 (Apr 9, 2015)

Serious nice find, and excellent shelf specimen of the grade of ore being mined in that area at that time.


----------



## Long Shot (Apr 9, 2015)

Indeed, very nice. So if you wanted to recover the silver that would be a pretty tough? Just thought I would ask the members on this.


----------



## Richard36 (Apr 9, 2015)

Long Shot said:


> Indeed, very nice. So if you wanted to recover the silver that would be a pretty tough? Just thought I would ask the members on this.



Recovering the silver in this sample would be very easy if crushed and the silver dissolved out with nitric acid and precipitated with HCL, 
then the silver chloride cemented to metallic silver with dilute sulfuric acid and aluminum. 

This is an easy process, but the sample is worth more as a shelf specimen than the silver itself is worth.


----------

