Silver is a soft, white, lustrous metal which is extremely malleable, ductile and capable of taking a high polish. Silver has the highest thermal conductivity and the lowest electrical resistivity of any metal at normal temperatures. It is not a precious metal and will oxidize rapidly. Silver plating is best suited for engineering purposes for solderable surfaces, electrical contact characteristics, high electrical and thermal conductivity, thermo-compression bonding, wear resistance of load-bearing surfuces and spetral reflectivity, electral applications, good corrosion resistance, good solderability and decorative purposes e.g. tableware and ornaments.