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Silver, Gold, Diamond, Copper, Arsenic, Antinomy,






Silver (Ag)



A fairly soft element (hardness of 2.5-3) with an opaque, bright metallic lustre. Silvery/grey
 white in colour. Habit is usually in a wiry form or as scales, crystals or very rare. Common in low-temperature hydrothermal veins associated with calcite or in high-temperature hydrothermal veins associated with nickel or cobalt suphides. World class silver deposits can be found in Mexico, Australia, Canada and Norway. 
      
      
Uses: Silver is used in the photography, chemistry, jewelry 
	      and electronics industry. 








                     

Gold (Au)



Occurs in small shapeless grains, sheets and flakes. Yellow in colour with a metallic lustre.
 Hardness is between 2.5 to 3. Found mainly in high-temperature hyrdrothermal quartz veins in
 extrusive rocks but is also found in placer river sands and the matrix of conglomerates. 
      
      
Uses: Gold is used in jewelry, dentistry and electronic 
              instruments 








                     

Diamond (C)



Colour ranges from yellow, brown, grey, green black and colourless, all with an adamantine
 lustre. Crystals are usually octahedral and rounded. Being the hardest mineral known its
 hardeness is 10. Associated with kimberlite breccias and detrital sedimentary deposits derived
 from them. World class deposits in South Africa, Zaire, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Canada and
 the USA. 
      
      
Uses: Diamonds are used in jewelry and in high quality abrasives 
              for cutting and drilling.








                     

Copper (Cu)



Copper red colour on fresh surfaces but often with a greenish film of malachite. Fairly soft
 (hardness 2.5-3), heavy, ductile and opaque with a metallic lustre. Habit is usually dendritic or
 wiry. Copper is largely formed by reducing conditions found in the oxidation zones of sulphide
 deposits. World class deposits in the USA and Germany.
      
      
Uses: Copper is used in alloys and electrical engineering.


  






                     

Arsenic (As)



Arsenic is generally a light grey to dark grey in colour with a metallic lustre. Crystals are rare
 with granular, massive or botryoidal masses more common. Hardness is 3.5 with a perfect basal cleavage. Arsenic is common in hydrothermal veins in association with ores of cobalt, nickel and
 silver. Large deposits in Siberia (Gikos), Germany (Harz), France and Italy. 
      
      
Uses: The mineral has little use as the metal (As) is usually extracted in the treatment of
 arsenopyrite (FeAsS). Is used as an indicator for other more economic minerals.



  






                     

Antimony (Sb)



Antimony is silvery/grey in colour with a metallic lustre. Crystals are rare and the mineral tends
 to form massive and reniform masses. Hardness is between 3-3.5 and there is a perfect, basal cleavage. Arsenic is common in hydrothermal veins associated with silver, arsenic, sphalerite,
 galena and pyrite. Good deposits in Sweden (Sala), Germany (Andreasberg), Italy (Sardinia) and Canada (New Brunswick).
      
      
Uses: The metal is extracted from Stibnite (Sb2S3) so is of little use on its own except as an
 indicator for other more economic minerals..



  









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