Silver is A precious shiny grayish-white metal, the chemical element of atomic number 47. Silver is sometimes found in nature in metallic form. It forms a sulfide mineral Ag 2 S called acanthite. Mineral forms of silver include sulfides formed with antimony called Stephanite, miargyrite and pyrargyrite. Silver is a naturally occurring element on the periodic table and can be found in natural deposits throughout the world. As such, it was discovered in 5000 BC, but not invented, by people.