A metal is deemed “precious” because of its rare quality and high economic value. Precious metals are naturally occurring metallic elements characterized by their impressive resistance to both corrosion and oxidation. Precious metals known today include the coinage metals; gold and silver, and the platinum group metals; platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, and osmium. In general, precious metals are less reactive than most elements. They are also ductile and have a high luster.
Some metals may be discovered and labeled precious, but the status may be revoked if the metal is more common and less valuable then it was originally thought to be. For example, Aluminum was an initially precious metal that later became common. It is the most abundant metal in the earths crust; however, it is extremely difficult to extract the pure metal from its various ores. In the nineteenth century, because of the difficulty and expense in obtaining the metal, the small available quantity of pure aluminum became more precious than both silver and gold. Aluminum cutlery was given to the most important guests at Napoleon III’s banquets while gold and silver wares were given to less worthy guests. However, shortly after the quick rise in popularity, the aluminum market crashed and the metal’s value decreased. This event was caused as a result of the discovery of a method to extract pure aluminum from its ore easily and cheaply. Production soared while prices and value plummeted and aluminum became nothing more than a common, industrial metal. Aluminum went from the world’s most precious to the world’s most productive metal seen everyday in products such as soda cans and airplane bodies.
Gold is a rare but well-known precious m...
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... and housewares.
Platinum is an extremely rare, precious metal whose value exceeds that of gold. It is the most widely used of the six platinum group metals that includes palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, and osmium. It is very heavy, lustrous, silver-white in color, and does not tarnish or corrode. Pure platinum is soft and therefore must be alloyed to increase durability. In the jewelry industry, platinum is alloyed with its platinum group companion, iridium in a nine to one ratio. With its excellent properties of strength, tarnish resistance, and workability, platinum lends itself to the fabrication of intricately designed jewelry items and gem settings. Platinum may also be used in the electrical industry for contacts and resistors, in the glass industry to make dies for fiber glass, and in the automobile industry for use in catalytic converters.
Yellow gold has taken a back seat in recent years to other colors of gold and platinum. However, yellow gold is huge on the couture scene no matter what the jewelry piece or style. It can still be mixed and matched with other precious metals and is always a classic look no matter what the piece or outfit. In larger pieces, gold's natural beauty and reflectivity give any outfit that extra sparkle it deserves. Check out this slide show for an example of yellow gold's versatility in bold styles.
The term “zinc” was not in use until the 16th century, at the earliest. The ancient Greeks called it “pseudargyras,” meaning “false silver,” and made very little use of it (Mathewson 1). The unassuming bluish-gray mineral was given a warmer welcome by the Romans, who were already using it to make brass by “about the time of Augustus, 20BC to 14AD”; the Romans used, not purified zinc, but the mineral calamine (“zincky wall accretions” from caves) and fused them in a crucible with bits of copper to make their brass (Mathewson 1). Around the world, zinc was being exploited by the Chinese civilization as well, although documentation of Asian use of zinc does not come until the 7th century of AD, from Kazwiui, the “Pliny of the Orient.” Kazwiui, “who died in 630AD, stated that the Chinese knew how to render the metal malleable and used it to make small coins and mirrors” (Mathewson 2). The discovery and use of zinc, then, was widespread in ancient times and through the Middle Ages. However, it seems that it had not yet been used for anything much more practical than a mirror, a fact that would very quickly change in the 18th and 19th centuries as higher-grade zinc became available and new applications presented themselves.
Gold is one of the most valuable materials all around the world. This jewel has its own glittering appearance and shiny color which induce people to desire to possess it. That’s probably why Europeans in the middle age have explored new continents and invaded other civilizations to find this glittering material. Americans also had given much endeavor to mine that valuable jewel in the time of gold rush. Investigating these events, gold has immensely affected the world history; the Age of Exploration, invasions of Spaniards, and the development of California.
Gold contains several properties that are visible through the human eye. It is these properties that will greatly differentiate gold from other existing elements in the earth. These physical properties make gold unique. The element gold is yellow in color. It is actually a very bright yellow color. When it comes to its luster, gold is
-Discuss the silver vs. gold argument, listing at least one argument for silver and one argument for gold.
An atom, by definition, is the smallest part of any substance. The atom has three main components that make it up: protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and neutrons are within the nucleus in the center of the atom. The electrons revolve around the nucleus in many orbitals. These orbitals consist of many different shapes, including circular, spiral, and many others. Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged. Protons and electrons both have charge of equal magnitude (i.e. 1.602x10-19 coulombs). Neutrons have a neutral charge, and they, along with protons, are the majority of mass in an atom. Electron mass, though, is negligible. When an atom has a neutral charge, it is stable.
With the current fluctuations in currency value, it has become necessary to come up with a safer way of storing wealth. Inflation causes loss to creditors as well as debtors. To curb this loss, it is important to consider safer ways of investing your money such as purchasing precious metals. Among the most valuable metals in the current market are gold, platinum, silver and palladium bullion coins. To help in identifying the most suitable venture, here is an extensive evaluation of various bullions.
Let us briefly suppose that I recently bought a new gold watch. I was particularly happy that my watch was made of the finest, and rarest, gold in the area. Suppose, though, that one day I passed the factory where it was made, and ...
It ranks amongst the rarest of metals. Consider this: for every 15 to 20 ounces of gold extracted, only a single ounce of platinum is mined. Unlike gold, which doesn't work well in its purest form, platinum is used in jewelry at 90–95% purity. Gold tarnishing is the slight corrosion of the gold surface and is evident as a dark discoloration of the gold item, also called a tarnish film. Gold alone or pure gold does not combine easily with oxygen so it stays shiny, it does not rust nor tarnish, again, that is pure gold. The magnet test is also a good test to determine if gold is real or fake. If your gold item is attracted to a magnet, it is definitely not real gold. Still, this doesn't mean that there is no gold in your item, just that it is not made with a substantial amount of gold. Gold is most often found in quartz rock. When quartz is found in gold bearings areas, it is possible that gold will be found as well. Quartz may be found as small stones in river beds or in large seams in hillsides. The white color of quartz makes it easy to spot in many
Now, this rare element has many interesting attributes that are unlike other elements. Rhodium is a silver and white metallic color with
Jewelry, such as rings or necklaces have diamonds because they have great durability. They are very hard so they are useful for cutting, grinding, or drill other materials. They are on many cutting blades or drills on the tips and blades to make a strong cutting edge. They are used to make tools stronger al last longer and make many people wear very beautiful jewlery.
The extraordinary elegance of this unique metal is what makes gold extremely popular to jewelers around the world. Therefore, it is normal to expect that jewelry sectors will have a steady demand for this rare metal in years to come.
The old fashioned jewelry is also sold in the market to raise cash for households who are in need of cash. As the price race of gold continues so is the sale of scrap which jumped to 1,674T last year up from 986 T in 2003. Finally, with easing off the financial crisis in the West and stable value of dollar, and as developed economies come out of recession cage, the price of yellow metal is likely retread to a new level. The gold prices will unlikely ease off, otherwise.
Gold is the “noblest'; of the noble metals (gold, platinum, palladium, and rhodium), so termed because of their inertness, or reluctance to enter into chemical reactions. Gold will not react with common acids but is attacked by a three-to-one mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids. This combination is called aqua regia because it reacts with the so-called royal metal. Gold will not combine directly with oxygen, but oxides may be formed indirectly. Gold will also combine with the halogens (fluorine, chlorine bromine, and iodine) and with the cyanides.
Platinum was very difficult to work with, and prone to being weakened by heating and oxygen