Silver
from the Antique Jewelry University
Silver is the whitest of the metallic elements, harder than gold and softer than copper and has been used for jewelry since ancient times. Native silver is rare and it's usually found as an alloy together with gold, lead and other metals. Sources that would have fueled the ancient world would have been the gold mines in southern Egypt (Nubia) where silver along with gold is occasionally found.
Because of it's scarcity it was valued higher then gold by the Egyptians. Finds of very early pieces are virtually unheard of, partially because of recycling in ancient times due to it's rarity and because of the fact that silver was often mixed with copper and has a lower susceptibility to corrosion. Some high-purity Phoenician jewelry from around 500BC has survived the teeth of time.
Silver was used in coins, and like gold these coins were often the easiest source of precious metal to goldsmiths, a practise that continued into fairly modern times. The purity of coins is often reflected in jewelry from that time and locality.
Silver is classed as a precious metal because of its desirability for jewelry and coins. It is also a noble metal because it is relatively resistant to oxidation. It is often hardened for use in industry, jewelry and objects by alloying it with other metals. For example: Sterling Silver is 925 parts silver and 75 parts other, usually copper.