The shells and soft tissues of approximately 50 oysters (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) collected along the Georgia coast were analyzed for iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, and silver. Magnesium was the only metal found to be more concentrated in the shells. Correlations between the metals in the soft tissues suggest that iron and magnesium, and copper, zinc, and silver form two separate groups of metals which are concentrated similarly by the oyster. Geochemical characteristics of a given metal are an important control in their uptake by the oyster.