For all of its social prevalence in the form of jewelry and other decorative presentations, silver is an element that often gets underestimated as far as its real-world applications. One of the fields in which it particularly tends to shine (pardon the pun) is in technology. Whether it’s in the manufacture or in the tangible implements of technological tools, silver, in its various forms, is an indispensible part of our industrial and scientific advancement, although to the general public, it maintains a relatively low profile as such.

Much of the technologically-employed silver in the world actually goes into photography. Manufacturers of photographic products and cameras use silver primarily in its nitrate or halide forms due to their heightened sensitivities to light, with silver halides in particular being used in the production of photographic film and paper.

It functions like this: each crystal of the material contains, on its surface, a spot that turns a metallic hue when exposed to light. Specks with more atoms undergo development wherein the entire crystal turns silver and thus reflects that particular part of the photograph.

In addition to the useful light-sensitivity of silver halides, the element also boasts greater conductivity than most metals and is therefore often used in the manufacture of electronics and electrical implements. In fact, thanks to its extreme conductivity, silver is a tremendously significant element in radio frequency engineering, particularly at high frequencies.

For the same reason, silver is constantly used in printed computer circuits, keyboards, and anything requiring contacts with a high voltage. Also, due to its light weight and durability, batteries used for watches and other small instruments are made of silver and serve to increase the lifespan of the battery.

However, one of its most unique contributions has been in the world of music. Audiophiles will tell you that silver is by far superior to copper when used in audio cables and the wiring in high-quality speakers and therefore well worth the extra cost in exchange for the enhanced sound quality. More prolifically, silver is regularly used to make musical instruments as its specific tone and surface friction lend them a sound that no other metal can bequeath. This is usually seen in flutes, which are almost always made of silver, but saxophones, trumpets and even trombones have been known to use silver in their construction, for the unique tonal quality it provides.

So before you go writing off the talented and multidimensional 47th element as a material suited only for personal adornment, keep in mind that silver is truly a wondrous material without which many of our technological tools would be vastly altered and quite probably inferior. It is exactly this inherent value (along with silver’s value in jewelry) that allows silver to consistently be recycled and reused. Send your unwanted silver items to Cash for Silver USA today!