About Silver...

"The indispensable metal" - that is how we see silver increasingly described and, as we research the properties of this beautiful material, such sentiments are understandable. 

Until recently, our thoughts on silver probably differed little from that of most casual observers of the metal. Beyond its role in jewellery, and teapots owned by elderly relatives, we knew little of silver apart from a casual understanding of its role in electronics and photography.  Yet it hardly excited - after all, isn't silver the 'poor man's gold?'. Now we find ourselves somewhat more enlightened and contrite. Indeed, there is a sense in which we find ourselves in awe of just how important silver really is.

Silver's history stretches back to around 4000BC, with the first really concerted efforts at significant mining after 3000BC. It was within the geographic area now known as Turkey that the first major source of silver is believed to have emerged. Sophisticated processing of silver ore came later and has been attributed to the Chaldeans, who developed a process in about 2500BC for extracting the prized metal from lead-silver ores. Since then silver has been intimately associated with civillisations that have waxed and waned - providing objects of beauty and practical worth, a huge contribution to the business of 'honest' money, and industrial properties without which life modern life would struggle.

Increasingly, silver looks set to justify the title of 'indispensable metal' and particularly exciting for investors is that current demand/supply dynamics appear extremely favourable going forward. Yet a word of caution. The price of silver can be very volatile and the current range of investment opportunities are more limited than gold. Irrespective, our personal view is that Silver - perhaps the 'Cinderella' of precious metals in recent times - will ultimately stun investors with its future performance, but this is not a metal for the faint hearted!