Gold and silver have been enjoying a quiet bull market from around 2001, a bull run that has almost tripled the price of gold, and quintupled (5X) the price of silver. There has been a lull in the price of these precious metals in the last year or so, but the fundamentals remain intact, and the Bull Run does not seem to have run its course yet. As the bull market has matured, more methods for investing in gold and silver have emerged allowing investors easy access to the precious metals market. Look no further than the following methods for the best ways to invest in gold and silver:

Gold and Silver ETFs: Gold Exchange Traded Funds (GLD) are a relatively new phenomenon, but are an easy way for you to invest in gold directly. The prices of the gold ETF rises and drops in direct proportion to the underlying price of gold. The silver ETF (SLV) is even newer, and similarly, tracks the price of silver.

Gold and Silver Mutual funds: There are many mutual funds that specialize in the precious metals sector. They invest in gold and silver mining stocks or in the metals directly. Funds such as the Tocqueville Gold Fund are well known for tracking or sometimes exceeding the performance of the underlying gold price. Bernies Gold and Silver fund is an example of a fund that invests in both the metals, and does so internationally.

Gold and Silver Mining stocks: Buying gold and silver mining stocks will give you the most leverage from the current bull market. However these stocks are also the riskiest, as you take on all the risks associated with a mining operation. Moreover, you need to invest in those companies that are also exploring new areas for new finds of gold deposits - an inherently risky proposition - but one that will give your portfolio a serious boost.

Gold and Silver coins: You can purchase gold and silver coins directly from brokers, or websites such as investmentrarities.com. Treat these as long term safe havens rather than investments, but it is good to be in possession of at least some. If you are not comfortable owning coins and putting them in your own safe-deposit box, you can use services such as goldmoney.com that will mark a certain amount of gold in your name in a safe in London based on your amount of purchase. It is easy to get your money out, or exchange your certificate for certain services at select merchant sites.

These cover some of the best ways to invest in gold and silver and participate in the ongoing bull market.