If you have ever dreamed of mining in the wilderness of Alaska, of what it would actually be like, how you would go about it and what it takes, I'd like to share with you some of my own personal experiences. 

Alaska is vast and mining in it is quite different from mining in the lower 48.

Let's start with the basics...

If you've been watching the news, you'll no doubt have read all the speculation on what the market is going to do.  You'll hear precious metals prices are rising because stocks are falling because of Korea, China, the President, whatever. 

Then you take a look at the silver & gold charts and see it rocket up, and plummet down.  Of course, it always plummets just before you check it out and by then it's gone up again.  Murphy's Law...our life.

While most of us are aware of all the great uses for silver such as electronics, conductors, jewelry, and even clothing there is another use for silver that can actually cause alarming results if you aren't careful.

Homeopathy providers sometimes sell colloidal silver for a variety of health complaints, but drinking the stuff has a weird side effect:  It turns the skin blue.  No kidding!  Who wants to walk around as a human smurf?

Here's what happens:  Stomach acid strips silver atoms of one electron (electrons have a negative charge), making a positively charged silver ion, or salt. The silver ion then seeps into the bloodstream through channels normally only used by other salts. From the bloodstream, the salts wind up in the skin.

Everyone is always asking what kind of silver should they invest in?  There are so many choices, which one is best?  The good part is that there IS a lot of choices!  Something for all tastes and in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes.  From classic and traditional to new age and "out there", generic and premium,  minted and hand poured... it's a smorgasbord of silver.

Basic advice?  Buy what you like.  Don't focus on the cost as much as if it "wow's" you, get it.  Having physical silver and gold in your hands starts being more than just an investment.  It becomes personal.  Something that can be handed down from generation to generation, something to talk about and ogle over with friends and other silver and gold enthusiasts.