The world of jewelry includes many different metals, the most famous of which are gold, silver and platinum. But the fact that they are known by everyone in the world does not mean that they are the most expensive. There are metals whose price seems unreal.

Types of precious metals

Among expensive metals, natural and artificially derived ones are distinguished. The first type includes osmium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum, gold, etc., and the second type has only two — Osmium 187, California.

artificial metals

— Californian 252. Hold on tight — the metal is worth around $6.5 million per gram. It began to be produced in the middle of the last century at the University of California, hence the name. Only 6 grams have been produced throughout history. Since the metal has radioactive properties (and some more: the power of one nuclear reactor is equal to one gram of metal energy), it is used to illuminate parts of reactors and parts of airplanes and helicopters to find malfunctions.

— Osmii 187. It has a deep dark gray color. In general, in its essence, osmium is fine sand, which slightly gives purple. The metal has an incredibly high density. Used to create precision instruments. Osmium is mined almost all year round.

natural metals

— Ruthenium. The material was discovered not far away XIX century It is very fragile despite the fact that it is hard and refractory. Conducted only in the Republic of South Africa. The price varies from 8 to 10 dollars per gram. It has a silver-gray color.

— Osmium. Its price also depends on the quality, they ask for 12 to 15 dollars per gram. The color is a delicate silver-white, with a bluish tint. Despite its beauty, Jewelers do not use it for their purposes, all osmium is extremely toxic and can cause considerable harm to the body.

— Palladium. The cost is from 30 to 33 dollars. The color is a beautiful light silver. It is characterized by plasticity and low melting point. A very important advantage is that the material is resistant to corrosion and does not fade over time. It is almost impossible to find accessories made of palladium alone, it is often used to complement white gold jewelry.

— Platinum. The metal is valued at about 30 dollars per gram. Inherent light silver color. It was considered less valuable than even silver due to its refractoriness, even the name translates as «tiny silver». It is quite difficult to extract platinum because it does not exist in the natural environment in its pure form, only in combinations with other metals. To separate 1 gram from alloys, approximately 3 tons of ore must be processed. Platinum accessories are very popular among Asian peoples.

— Gold. The cost is about 40 dollars. The color depends on the type of gold, most often you can find golden yellow. This is probably the first metal discovered by mankind. Without the addition of other metals, gold is characterized by incredible plasticity, thanks to which it can be smoothed into a very thin film. Only 10 grams of gold are used for a very thin 28-kilometer string.

— Iridium. The cost per gram is approximately $44. It is distinguished by hardness, but at the same time fragility. Used in alloys with platinum. Resistant to corrosion. Metal is very difficult to process. One of the metals found on meteorites.

— Rhodium. One gram costs about $70. To get the metal, it is necessary to remelt platinum. It was first opened in XIX century Rhodium accessories as such do not exist — it is only used to cover silver or gold jewelry to add a dazzling shine. The advantage of rhodium is that it is absolutely resistant to corrosion and moisture.