{"id":11128,"date":"2020-09-29T12:01:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/?p=11128"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:03:27","slug":"what-are-precious-metals-and-precious-metals-alloys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/what-are-precious-metals-and-precious-metals-alloys\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Precious Metals and Precious Metals Alloys?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"float: right;border: 0;margin: 10px\" title=\"What are Precious Metals and Precious Metals Alloys?\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/istock-505367826_preciousperiodic-1.jpg\" alt=\"What are Precious Metals and Precious Metals Alloys?\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" \/>Precious metals are elements that are considered rare and chemically inert. They&#8217;re not abundant in nature, and therefore they have high economic value. Precious metals are used commonly in jewelry, industrial processes, or very often as investment vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>The four primary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/us\/en\/home\/industrial\/spectroscopy-elemental-isotope-analysis\/portable-analysis-material-id\/portable-metal-manufacturing-inspection-recycling-solutions\/portable-precious-metals-jewelry-analysis.html?icid=CAD_blog_metals_2020Sept\">precious metals<\/a> are gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Depending on the application, there are common alloying elements that can be mixed with the main precious metals to improve the properties of the final product. There are other elements of interest are that are also used in non-precious metal jewelry or accessories.<\/p>\n<p>When buying, or selling precious metals, one should be familiar with three main terms describing the precious metal:\u00a0 karat, fineness, and troy ounce.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Karat<\/strong> is a grading system to determine the purity of gold. 24 karat is pure gold, so one karat is equal to 1\/24th of the pure gold in the alloy. If you do the math, one karat is about 4.16% gold, 14 karats is about 58.3%, and 18 karat is 75% gold, and so on.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fineness<\/strong> is the proportion of the pure precious metal in the alloy. This is often expressed in parts per thousand. If you look closely at a gold bar, sometimes you will see the number 999, which indicates the fineness. It means the bar is 99.9% pure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Troy ounce<\/strong> is the measure to determine the weight of the precious metals. This is a very old term that dates to the middle ages. A troy ounce is about 31.1 grams, as opposed to a regular ounce, which is about 28.35.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is common to find five different types of gold on the market:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Fine gold<\/strong>, which is basically pure gold with fineness of 999 or above.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gold alloy<\/strong> is simply gold that has been mixed with other elements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Yellow gold<\/strong> contains silver as the main alloying element.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rose gold<\/strong> contains copper as the main alloying element.<\/li>\n<li><strong>White gold\u00a0<\/strong>contains either palladium or nickel as the main alloying elements.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Just like in any other businesses such as pawn brokers, cash-for-gold operations, jewelry stores and gold traders, we encounter some risks and challenges. One risk involves the material. There is a possibility of overpaying the seller because you cannot determine the correct karats or because you think it&#8217;s really solid gold when, in reality, it&#8217;s a plated material. Another challenge is determining what other precious metals besides gold are present in your sample. Sometimes you have other precious metals that are valuable, like palladium or platinum, and you can&#8217;t really see them just by looking at the piece. Sometimes the piece can contain non-precious metals such as nickel, or even some toxic metals like lead.<\/p>\n<p>Verification tests that business use to combat these risks include the scratch and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/seth-gold-tells-all-national-pawnbroker-of-the-year-explains-the-need-to-drop-the-acid\/?icid=CAD_blog_metals_2020Sept\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acid test<\/a>, which is widely used but not very accurate and potentially dangerous. The most precise method is fire assay. However, this method destroys the sample. Laboratory methods with expensive machines require extensive sample preparation. Finally, there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/us\/en\/home\/industrial\/spectroscopy-elemental-isotope-analysis\/spectroscopy-elemental-isotope-analysis-learning-center\/elemental-analysis-information\/xrf-technology.html?icid=CAD_blog_metals_2020Sept\">portable X-ray florescence (XRF)<\/a>, a non-destructive method that measures up to 22 elements in one reading. \u00a0Therefore, if you are a businesses that needs an accurate, fast, easy, non-destructive analysis method for a reasonable price, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/us\/en\/home\/industrial\/spectroscopy-elemental-isotope-analysis\/portable-analysis-material-id\/portable-metal-manufacturing-inspection-recycling-solutions\/portable-precious-metals-jewelry-analysis.html?icid=CAD_blog_metals_2020Sept\">portable XRF analyzers<\/a> are one of the best possible solutions among all the techniques.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve gone into more details about analyzing and verifying precious metals and precious metal alloys in our webinar <a href=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/665001591001\/blevZSYeT_default\/index.html?videoId=6163404663001\">Not All that Glitters is Gold<\/a>. You can download the recording anytime and see a demo of the analysis in action.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Watch the recording: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/665001591001\/blevZSYeT_default\/index.html?videoId=6163404663001\"><em>Not All that Glitters is Gold<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Precious metals are elements that are considered rare and chemically inert. They&#8217;re not abundant in nature, and therefore they have high economic value. Precious metals are used commonly in jewelry, industrial processes, or very often as investment vehicles. The four primary precious metals are gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Depending on the application, there are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":839,"featured_media":11130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[68,9,195],"division":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-metals-and-alloys","8":"category-precious-metals","9":"tag-gold","10":"tag-precious-metals-2","11":"tag-silver","12":"entry"},"_selected_authors":[790],"_selected_reviewers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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including gold, silver, platinum, and their properties, uses, composition, testing, and identification.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/what-are-precious-metals-and-precious-metals-alloys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Analyzing Metals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thermofisher\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-29T12:01:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-13T13:03:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/istock-505367826_preciousperiodic-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Juan Pablo Zuluaga\" \/>\n<meta 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Download this handy periodic table and X-ray energy reference guide to help in analyzing your metals samples. \u00a0It's our treat. Then visit our Steel Manufacturing and Precious Metals Analysis\u00a0 pages for more goodies. Download Periodic Table.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General\/Industry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/general-industry-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Halloween pumpkin with goodies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/MetalsHalloween-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/MetalsHalloween-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/MetalsHalloween-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/MetalsHalloween-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/MetalsHalloween-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13418,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/buyer-and-seller-beware-how-to-detect-fake-gold-in-current-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":11128,"position":1},"title":"Buyer and Seller Beware: How to Detect Fake Gold in Current Times","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"April 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Practical Guide for Jewelers and Pawn Shop Owners The rise in gold prices and continued market volatility have made precious metals more attractive\u2014not just to legitimate sellers, but also to increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters. For jewelers, cash-for-gold operators, and pawn shop owners, the ability to accurately verify gold authenticity and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General\/Industry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/general-industry-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clasp on a 14k Gold necklace with markings on a black background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13568,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/how-handheld-xrf-technology-exposed-counterfeit-silver-coins-sold-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":11128,"position":2},"title":"How Handheld XRF Technology Exposed Counterfeit Silver Coins Sold Online","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary Counterfeit silver coins are becoming a growing problem in online marketplaces, putting coin collectors, precious metal investors, pawn shops, and bullion buyers at financial risk. A recent \u00a0NBC Connecticut investigation uncovered fake American Eagle silver bullion coins being sold online at prices far below market value. Although the coins\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Precious Metals&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Precious Metals","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/precious-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Silver coins and silver bullion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12889,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/diwali-sparks-gold-buying-frenzy\/","url_meta":{"origin":11128,"position":3},"title":"Diwali Sparks Gold-Buying Frenzy","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"October 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Forty tons of gold, worth $11 billion, was purchased by India in the first two days of Diwali. About 8,000 miles away in New York City, there was a gold buying rush and a cash-for-gold frenzy. Buyers and sellers are banking on the hope that the gold in the pieces\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Precious Metals&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Precious Metals","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/precious-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Diwali Puja Thali With Flowers, Diya, And Gifts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/iStock-2240362443-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10286,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/a-valentines-special-best-metal-elements-for-a-sturdy-piece-of-jewelry\/","url_meta":{"origin":11128,"position":4},"title":"A Valentine\u2019s Special: Best Metal Elements for a Sturdy Piece of Jewelry","author":"Mark Lessard","date":"February 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Pleasant Garden article noted that \"from a global perspective, nearly 6 million couples get engaged on February 14th.\"\u00a0It\u2019s no surprise that many of those who \u2018pop the question\u2019 choose to do it on the day known for its message of love and affection. Those who have bought an engagement\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Precious Metals&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Precious Metals","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/precious-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ring in box with Valentine heart decorations","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/istock-96917265_valentinejewelry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/istock-96917265_valentinejewelry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/istock-96917265_valentinejewelry.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/istock-96917265_valentinejewelry.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13598,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/how-rhodium-plating-impacts-gold-xrf-analysis-and-karat-verification\/","url_meta":{"origin":11128,"position":5},"title":"How Rhodium Plating Impacts Gold XRF Analysis and Karat Verification","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"July 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary Accurate gold analysis is essential for jewelry verification, precious metals trading, refining, and quality control. One of the most widely used methods for determining gold content is X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, a non-destructive testing technique that quickly evaluates metal composition. However, rhodium plating\u2014a common surface treatment used on white\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Metals &amp; Alloys&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Metals &amp; Alloys","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/metals-and-alloys\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Banner of a cube symbolizing element number 45 of the periodic table. Rhodium. 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