Today, silver is one of the best known precious metals and a huge seller for companies like US Gold Bureau that specialize in selling such metals for investment purposes. The reason for silver's popularity stretches back thousands of years to around 3,000 BC when the first human discoveries about this metal were believed to have been made. At that time, the fact that it could be separated from lead and used to decorate things made it attractive. Today, those who buy silver from companies like United States Gold Bureau are investing in silver because it has more uses than ever before. One of the most common is, as you might imagine, jewelry.

Jewelry, while being a common use for silver, often does not contain as much silver as many people believe. Usually, the silver is combined with copper to form an alloy, something that is easy to do with silver. This differs from silver purchased through US Gold Bureau or a similar company because those coins and bullion are pure silver which is far more valuable by weight.

Silver is exceptionally malleable and this makes it valuable for a number of purposes such as shaping, but the fact that it is the most conductive metal for electricity and heat also sets it apart from the rest. When someone takes a look at silver offered by companies like United States Gold Bureau, it is a good idea for them to consider the that the properties silver has make it useful in all sorts of industries. A good example is the fact that silver is found in many mirrors to help them create a reflective surface. It is also used in optics and the development of camera film.

Those who are familiar with holistic health topics might realize that silver also as antimicrobial properties. In the past, babies had silver dollars set on their eyes for a short period of time to help prevent blindness brought on by infections. While this is not done today, silver continues to have strong uses for medicinal purposes and also for dentistry where it is a component in fillings for cavities.

Clearly, silver has a long history of being useful to humans and there is every indication that this will continue to be the case for centuries to come. While it might not be the killer of vampires and werewolves that it was once rumored to be, today we can see that this is one precious metal that is used by a large number of industries and can be a key component to a diverse portfolio of precious metal investments.