.999 silver/gold?

[Pepperlizard]

why is it that jewelry and coins made with 24k gold and objects made with sterling silver only have 99.9% of gold and silver? Why isn't it 100%?

 

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[Mackaydon]

The American Buffalo gold coin and the First Spouse $10 gold coins, for example, are .9999 fine but called 24karat.
Don.....

 

[dustywallen]

Good question and one that is often asked by a many of people. Whenever we first started collecting precious metals this was a question we had ourselves. The explanation is best put this way no matter how much they purify a precious metal it always has some impurities in it. With gold if it were 100% pure gold it would be transparent. The astronauts the shield that they were has gold over latest on it, that is Why it looks gold in color. It is a very pure gold though that is Why they can look through it. It's properties as far as protection from u v rays is very impressive. Silver is the same way as far as the impurities goes the refining process of purification of these metals has to introduce a lot of foreign material into them. That is Why most coins we see bare the mark .999. I will say this though that silver maples have a more purity than that of the ASE. ASE is .9996 versus the maple is .9999. Gold though being transparent think this thought heaven we are told has streets of gold so clear as it were glass. Man cannot purify %100 BUT GOD CAN! Hope this answer your question

 

[usandthem]

FYI. Sterling is .925 pure not .999. As far as I know ASE's are the purest American silver coin at .999.

 

[ihatedirtbikes]

Good question and one that is often asked by a many of people. Whenever we first started collecting precious metals this was a question we had ourselves. The explanation is best put this way no matter how much they purify a precious metal it always has some impurities in it. With gold if it were 100% pure gold it would be transparent. The astronauts the shield that they were has gold over latest on it, that is Why it looks gold in color. It is a very pure gold though that is Why they can look through it. It's properties as far as protection from u v rays is very impressive. Silver is the same way as far as the impurities goes the refining process of purification of these metals has to introduce a lot of foreign material into them. That is Why most coins we see bare the mark .999. I will say this though that silver maples have a more purity than that of the ASE. ASE is .9996 versus the maple is .9999. Gold though being transparent think this thought heaven we are told has streets of gold so clear as it were glass. Man cannot purify %100 BUT GOD CAN! Hope this answer your question

gold is malleable and is not transparent at 100%. its just too soft(at 100%) to use on items, such as jewelry and coins, that take any type wear. here is a quote off wiki-"Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become transparent. The transmitted light appears greenish blue, because gold strongly reflects yellow and red.[SUP][10][/SUP] Such semi-transparent sheets also strongly reflect infrared light, making them useful as infrared (radiant heat) shields in visors of heat-resistant suits, and in sun-visors for spacesuits.[SUP][11]"[/SUP]

 

[capndan151]

I have some see-through gold for sale. Cheap! 100% pure! The pieces look just like windows but don't be fooled- They're made of solid gold! Let me know...