24 carat gold
In the modern world, gold has found a multifaceted application in various spheres and branches of human activity. And this breadth of its use increases its value from year to year. For investors, the precious metal is an excellent tool to generate stable profits. And for jewelers all over the world, this shining alloy makes it possible to bring their creative ideas to life to create products that bring joy and delight to people.
The products produced by the jewelry industry are evaluated according to several indicators: practicality, aesthetic appeal and purity of the metal. But the real purity of the alloy, recorded by the breakdown, has the greatest influence on the formation of prices.
What is it and what kind of test is it?
Gold is mined in different ways. But any kind of it: nuggets, gold-bearing ore or placer does not differ in natural purity. There are always many other impurities in it. Likewise, jewelry contains additives. The quality of the alloy itself and the things made from it depend on their quantity. The indicators are clearly regulated at the legislative level and provided by the branding process. A special marking is applied to each product - a sample.
In order to determine quality indicators, one of four systems is used. Russia uses metric, which shows using a three-digit number showing how many grams of gold are in 1000 grams of the alloy. For example, 1000 g of alloy 958 contains 958 g of a noble metal. The remaining 42 g are additives.
In the Russian Federation, 5 samples are standard. The 375 sample contains the smallest amount of precious metal - 37.5%, and 62.5% is accounted for by additives.The largest 999 fineness contains 99.9% gold. This composition is called pure gold.
The rest of the states use other methods of calculation: carat, spool and lot. European countries, China, the United Arab Emirates, America preferred carat fineness, showing a fraction of pure gold in 24 parts of the alloy. Karat tests are also 5. The lowest - 9, corresponding to 375 metric. The highest is 24 (999 metric). This means that 9 carats is 9 parts of 24 gold. And 24 carat gold means 24 parts of the maximum 24 (999 standard).
The price of pure metal is an important economic indicator that has been used by humanity for a long time. During this time, the value of the metal has not decreased at all, becoming more and more every year. That's why people all over the world prefer to buy gold bars by investing their money in them. One gram today costs 2313 rubles at the exchange rate of the Central Bank. But this value is only used for metal transactions at the state level. And for individuals, each bank has its own actual rate, which always differs from the quotations of the Central Bank and the London Stock Exchange.
At the moment, the price of 1 gram of 24-carat gold in the gradation of 3320-3340 rubles.
Composition and properties
24 carat gold corresponds to 999 fineness and contains 99.9% pure gold. An impurity of 0.01% is permissible with additives of palladium and platinum. The density of pure gold, equal to 19.32 g / cm³, helps in its extraction, providing a high degree of recovery from the rock. In its pure form, the metal is very ductile, it can be pulled into a wire. It is forged into sheets of translucent gold leaf approximately 0.1 mm thick.
Pure gold is soft and subject to deformation under the influence of physical exertion. Possessing high chemical resistance, it does not react to oxygen or sulfur. Resistant to moisture, does not interact with acids, alkalis, salts.
It is able to dissolve in mixtures of some acids and easily forms an amalgam when combined with mercury.
Alloy shades
The natural color of the noble metal is yellow, but craftsmen have long learned to give it various shades. Pure gold, distinguished by its characteristic glossy yellowness, looks very elegant both in small items and in large ingots.... The assortment of jewelry stores includes jewelry of other shades. They, too, are in demand and are a huge success. The color palette of gold items depends solely on the finds of metallurgists and chemists, as well as on the whims of a changing fashion.
The metal is colored by foreign additives.
The white color creates a ligature of platinum and palladium. Nickel, on the other hand, gives the white tint a barely perceptible yellowness. The popular red gold has a high copper content. Rose gold is made by alloying with copper and silver. Today, black gold items with silver, nickel and cobalt ligatures have become a trend. 24-carat 999 sample gold, having a negligible amount of impurities, never changes in color and is always distinguished by a bright yellowness.
Where is it used?
Gold is one of the 7 elements that have been familiar to mankind for many millennia. It has been used since ancient times. And the rarity of the shining metal with its unfading beauty made it really very valuable. The largest share of the world's gold production is traditionally directed to the production of precious jewelry. Also, this noble metal is used in the manufacture of crowns and dentures, electrical contacts, it is contained in the composition of medicines.
Great demand for it and in the food industry. Since edible gold has bactericidal properties and its use in food production is expanding all over the world. It is registered as food additive E175, approved for use in the food industry in the Russian Federation.In some countries, Goldschlager, a Swiss schnapps worth $ 300 a bottle, is popular with Goldschlager. This most amazing alcoholic beverage in the world contains real gold in flakes - approximately 13 mg per liter.
Italian company from the outskirts of Florence "Carry Dante" released a limited edition of high quality herbal soaps with pure 24 carat gold, in which you can see golden splashes. After application, golden sparks flash on the body, and golden drops remain in the soap dish. They also produce pizza, coffee with the smallest gold particles and much more.
As for the production of 999-grade jewelry, it is little used for this purpose, since it has increased fragility and the ability to bend and deform, therefore, jewelers rarely work with such metal. The high cost also does not contribute to the popularity of this material. Jewelers prefer to use alloys from 9 to 23 carats for their products. Of the high-grade alloys, 958 fineness of 23 carats is mainly used, which has 0.42% impurities in its composition.
The solar metal, marked with a high 958 fineness, is intended only for original handicraft products created in single copies. Although one can note the traditional popularity of precious products from the purest gold in the countries of the Middle East region. The Japanese also consider it necessary to have things made of pure gold. The rest of the peoples prefer gold in alloys.
It should be noted that on bank ingots, which make up the State Gold Reserve, and on commemorative coins, the fineness of 999.99 is put. Which is only partly true. They contain 999.96 gold with additives of lead and antimony. Of course, the filler material should not exceed 10%.
It is very difficult to obtain a fineness of 999.99; it has found wide application only in the chemical industry for galvanic gilding of the surface of a product made of nickel, brass or copper. Electroplated gilding is an inexpensive way to ennoble a product. Pure gold is used for the top coating - this is gilding.
An example is the Olympic gold medal, which actually consists of 925 sterling silver with 6 grams of pure gold applied.
How to choose products?
Jewelry products will always be in demand. Therefore, it is often faked, replacing it with cheaper yellow metals. There are many natural substitutes for gold. The most famous mineral of golden color with a metallic luster is pyrite. You should pay special attention to quality first, not just design.
In order not to buy a fake from "samovar gold", you should use the universal advice: buy only in a safe place. However, entering a salon with a big name, bright advertising and incredibly convenient location, you can always “run into” jewelry consumer goods at the price of high-quality products or the sale of stale products that have been repeatedly polished in the salon with the use of cleaning agents.
Therefore, even before making a purchase, it is necessary to carefully carry out a visual inspection of the brand, which must be clear. Uneven numbers, fuzzy marks, and sample symbols are a sign of counterfeiting. All parts of the jewelry must be assayed to ensure that each piece is made of precious material.
A close inspection through a magnifying glass will help you see if the mark is relevant to the sample. Or is this print just meaningless letters and numbers. With an unverified seller, this can easily happen. Folk methods also do not guarantee authenticity. After all, iodine and vinegar essence will interact with the surface of the product without reaching the internal composition.
But if the desire to be convinced of the authenticity at home is strong, then all experiments should be carried out on the invisible inner side of the surface.
Gold jewelry is actually considered an investment and is accumulated by the population in huge amounts. Only a small fraction of the jewelry is returned to the market in scrap. Now there is still a way to keep funds profitably. Usually the most popular investment methods are buying bullion and coins. The cost of the ingots is as close as possible to the cost of gold. The weight of large bars, as a rule, can fluctuate both up and down. Also, in large ingots, the gold content is not very high, about 99.5%. In small ingots, the weight is more accurate, and the gold content is 99.9%.
In the background is the purchase of coins - Krugerrands and Sovereigns. Other types of coins are more expensive. It is recommended to store bars and coins in their original packaging without removing it. Otherwise, you will have to prove the authenticity of the product. And banks are reluctant to accept them in violation of the integrity of the packaging and only at a reduced price.
The advantage of this investment method lies in its reliability and stable growth in the price of products.
See the video below for what real 999 gold used for casting looks like.