Judging quality
Tarnishes to black or brown, so untarnished bright wire is a warning sign of cleaning or fakery. Malleable, extremely heavy, and often on calcite or with acanthite.
Element
Native Silver
Silver in wires, ropes and herringbone crystal groups. Kongsberg produced the finest wire silver ever mined, and specimens from its 340-year run are museum currency.
Care
Tarnish is normal and often preferred. Never dip in commercial silver cleaner — it destroys collector value. Store in low-sulfur conditions.
History & lore
The Kongsberg mines ran from 1623 to 1958 and financed a substantial share of the Danish-Norwegian state.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Native Silver
- What is Native Silver?
- Silver in wires, ropes and herringbone crystal groups. Kongsberg produced the finest wire silver ever mined, and specimens from its 340-year run are museum currency.
- How hard is Native Silver and what is it made of?
- Native Silver is a Element-family mineral with the composition Ag. It crystallizes in the cubic system and rates 2.5-3 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in silver, grey, black.
- Where does Native Silver come from?
- Notable localities for Native Silver include Kongsberg, Norway, Cobalt, Ontario, Batopilas, Mexico, Michigan, USA.
- How do you tell good Native Silver from filler?
- Tarnishes to black or brown, so untarnished bright wire is a warning sign of cleaning or fakery. Malleable, extremely heavy, and often on calcite or with acanthite.
- How do you care for Native Silver?
- Tarnish is normal and often preferred. Never dip in commercial silver cleaner — it destroys collector value. Store in low-sulfur conditions.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.