The most valuable types of gold

Gold is one of the rarest metals on the planet, since ancient times it has been considered a symbol of wealth, success and high status in society. In the periodic table D.I. Mendeleev it is referred to as Aurum, that is, "golden", and in the people it is also called "noble". And this is not accidental, because gold is an inert metal, practically does not enter into chemical bonds and does not form new compounds - behaves like noble layers of society. It is the inertness of the metal that caused its high cost and demand. However, despite the "dislike" for other elements, scientists managed to create various types of gold, which are now used in many industries, starting with jewelry and ending with instrument-making. In its pure state, it is now almost never met.

Gold content

In nature, gold is not found in the form of "shining" coarse clastic rocks, but in the form of minute inclusions, grains of sand that are inside the main gold-bearing rock. Sometimes grains of sand are so small that they can be discerned only with the help of special equipment.

But there are also nuggets, the largest of which is "The Desired Stranger" - was found in Australia and weighed about 75 kg. And when gold mining was conducted in the Urals, a sample weighing 35 kg, nicknamed the "Big Triangle", was found.

But gold enters the market only after a multilevel cleaning. But even after enrichment the raw material contains in its composition a certain amount of impurities. Because of this, the first types of gold appeared, which differed by a breakdown - the percentage of metal in the product.

Gold Sampling Systems

State institutions use the purest samples of this metal as a gold reserve. The percentage of the element in them is 99.999% per gram of substance. But the standard 1 kg bank ingot contains 999 grams of metal. It is the value of this ingot, divided by a thousand, can be observed on the gold and currency exchanges of the planet.

The gold sample is indicated on the product itself in the form of a small brand with the indication of quite specific numbers. There are two systems of samples in the world:

1. Metric. Distributed in the CIS, European countries and in Russia, using numerical designations.
2. Karatnaja, applied in the countries of the European Union and the USA. It determines the number of parts of gold, which accounts for 24 parts of the alloy.

In the carat system, pure gold (a percentage of more than 99.9%) corresponds to 24 samples, and in the metric - 999th. If, on a gold product, you notice a stamp with numbers "750" or 18 carats, then the product contains 75% of precious metal. Ornaments of 585 tests are most common in the post-Soviet space. And the most low-quality are 9-carat or 375 samples of the product, because in their composition not more than 37.5% of gold.

"Spectrogram" of gold products

In its purest form, gold is a very soft, ductile and malleable material that literally "melts before your eyes" and is difficult to process. To make the gold raw material, various metals are added to it : silver, copper, cadmium, chromium, platinum and others. Thus, different types of gold, or rather, its alloys, are obtained.

Depending on what element was added to the raw material, the physical properties of the alloy are found, as well as its color. The shade of gold products can be very diverse, can range from gold, yellow and soft pink, to dark blue, brown and even black. All this ultimately determines the cost of jewelry and their aesthetic qualities.

Yellow and white gold

Yellow gold is the most traditional and widespread in the world alloy. In it to noble metal in a different ratio of silver and copper. It is the amount of impurities that determines how much gold costs in the jewelry market. If the percentage of silver exceeds the amount of copper, then products of even lemon color are obtained. If there is more copper, a red shade appears. The most common products on the market are 585 and 750 samples. White gold is considered the most expensive and beautiful alloy, which is not surprising. To produce it, add palladium or platinum, which makes the products look whitish. In addition to color, the strength characteristics also change - they become higher. For jewelry used white gold 585 and 750 samples.

Red and pink gold

Red gold is obtained by adding a large amount of copper to the alloy. In some products the content of additives can reach 50% of the total mass. That is why all kinds of gold of red shade are distinguished by low cost. It looks good with red gems - rubies and grenades. To obtain a pink hue in the alloys, together with copper, add from 3 to 2 parts of silver. Color emphasizes nobility. That's why this material is popular among many jewelry houses in the world, making decorations for celebrities.

Green and blue gold

You can get green gold in several ways. The most common of these is the balanced addition of silver to the alloy. As the introduction of this metal changes the shade - the products acquire a green, yellow-green and pure white color. On this depends and how much is gold in green. If the percentage of silver reaches 30%, then a new mineral is formed - electrum. To obtain blue gold, alloys are added with steel or cobalt. In the first case, the shade changes from light gray to cold blue. When adding cobalt, the alloy begins to acquire a bluish tinge. Some jewelry houses achieve this effect by applying a rhodium coating. Here, not all alloys are presented, which characterize what kinds of gold are. The black noble material, as well as its brown and brown shades, are very popular in the world.