World’s most popular gold and silver mints compared

World number one miner BHP Billiton on Monday bought five additional exploration plots near its giant Olympic Dam mine and expansion project, destined to become the world's largest open pit.

"The quality of this relationship with China's largest importer of copper concentrates provides further evidence that there is considerable interest in the high grade massive sulphides being found by the emerging seafloor resource production industry," said Nautilus CEO Stephen Rogers.

SilverCrest Mines jumped as much as 9% on Thursday on higher than usual trading volumes, after announcing silver production doubled and gold output tripled at its Santa Elena mine in Mexico.

South American Silver has inked a $16 million deal with Asian investors to go towards its exploration projects in Bolivia and Chile.

The metal's characteristic price volatility – why traders often refer to it as the 'devil's metal' – is a deterrence for investors and silver had an especially torrid 2011.

US-based Southern Copper and Australia's Oz Minerals are both looking to acquire assets in South America, according to media reports Wednesday.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto tightened its grip on Ivanhoe Mines as part of a $3.3 billion financing deal announced this morning, leading to the resignation of chief executive and founder Robert Friedland.

Toronto-listed Scorpio Mining (TSX: SPM) reported quarterly silver production at its Nuestra Señora mine in Mexico fell 10%, driven by lower head grades.

Precious metals miner Fresnillo (LON:FRES), the largest silver producer, reported its first-quarter silver production was in line with expectations, while it said higher-than-expected gold output, owing to the start up of its new Noche Buena mine.