Lore:Dwarven Metal

An ingot of Dwarven metal (Skyrim)

Dwarven Metal refers to heavy, exotic metals used primarily by the Dwemer. It is usually copper in color, although it can also be yellow, grey, or green. The Dwemer used the metal extensively, from architecture to cutlery, most notably for Dwemer Animunculi. To the other races of Tamriel, it is primarily of interest for use in smithing weapons and armor.

Dwarven weapons are prized for their ability to resist corrosion and retain their edge, while Dwarven armor has distinctive impact-absorbing qualities. For this reason, Dwemer artifacts are highly prized by adventurers and collectors. The metal itself is rare and precious, scraps of which are prized both by collectors of antiquities and students of metals and enchantments.^[1] Only the most skilled blacksmiths have the ability to emulate ornate Dwarven craftsmanship,^[2] although the metal is often incorporated into cultural designs.^[3] True Dwarven metal was made using an unknown process that many metallurgists have tried to replicate unsuccessfully. The only way to obtain the metal is to melt down existing Dwemer items made from the substance.^[4] The Dwarves required the intense heat of molten lava to forge this metal.^[5]

There are even rarer metals used by the Dwemer, one of which is Dwarven Adamant. It is a hard whitish alloy that was used to forge components of rare animunculi mounts, such as the Adamant Dwarven Horse.^[6] Dwarven Vitrine, also known as the Dwemeri Glass is another rare material and resembles the more common Malachite, as seen on the Vitrine Dwarven Wolf.^[7] Dwarven Ebon-steel is an alloy used in rarer vamidiums prized by collectors.^[8]^[9], and was used in weaponry ^[10].

Dwarven Ore is a naturally occurring ore deposit that can be found across Tamriel during the Second Era. Dwarven Ore acquired its name due to the visual resemblance it bears to Dwarven Metal when forged; however, it lacks the metal's durability, and metallurgists have concluded that it has no connection to the metal harvested from actual Dwemer devices.^[11]