The Metals

Copper (Cu, atomic number 29) is a reddish transition metal with outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity, considered the oldest metal deliberately used by humans and today an indispensable industrial raw material.

Gold (chemical symbol Au, atomic number 79) is a yellow, corrosion-resistant precious metal that has been used for thousands of years as a store of value, monetary metal, and material.

Iridium (Ir) is a silver-white platinum-group precious metal with one of the highest densities of all elements (22.56 g/cm³, just behind osmium) and exceptional corrosion resistance.

Osmium (Os, atomic number 76) is the densest naturally occurring element on Earth and belongs to the platinum group metals.

Palladium (Pd, atomic number 46) is a silver-white platinum group precious metal used primarily as a catalyst in vehicle exhaust systems and in the electronics industry.

Platinum is a rare, silvery-white precious metal of the platinum-group metals with atomic number 78, regarded as one of the most valuable metals on earth owing to its exceptional corrosion resistance, catalytic properties, and industrial versatility.

Platinum Group Metals (PGM) are six chemically related transition metals – platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium, and ruthenium – distinguished by exceptional corrosion resistance, high melting points, and catalytic properties.

Precious metals are a group of chemical elements characterised by high resistance to corrosion and oxidation, and which occur in nature predominantly in native form — that is, in pure metallic form.

Rhodium (Rh) is a silver-white platinum group precious metal used primarily as a catalyst in vehicle exhaust systems and for surface finishing; it is among the rarest and most expensive metals on Earth.

Ruthenium (Ru) is a rare platinum-group metal with exceptional hardness and corrosion resistance, used primarily in the electronics industry and as an alloying additive.

Semi-precious metals are metals that exhibit a certain resistance to corrosion, but do not possess the complete chemical inertness of precious metals.

Silver (Ag) is a lustrous white precious metal with the highest electrical conductivity of all elements and is used both as an investment metal and in industry, photography, and medicine.

White gold metals are the precious metals that give gold a silvery-white colour when used as alloying partners – primarily palladium, platinum and nickel.