We all know that buying precious metals can be an expensive thing at any time of the year. Even when the value of cash goes down, we can always rely on gold, silver and platinum to approximately hold their value. The reason for this is more than just desirability. Precious metals also have many unique characteristics that set them apart from other metals.
It's because of these characteristics that they're so flexible when it comes to giving them a function. Aside from jewellery, strips of gold and silver wire can be used in a range of industrial applications. These include gas detection, sensors, lamps, pH meters, electrical contacts, furnace elements, spark plugs, vacuum seals and fuses - myriad things people often forget about.
Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity, for example. However, due to its value, it is often used sparingly; sometimes appearing as a small contact point in computer circuitry.Due to its malleability, it is also great for both decorative purposes and even medical ones. Take gold crowns for teeth for example; gold is used because it is soft enough to mould, yet hard enough to block out food bits. It also has anti-bacterial properties.
Silver on the other hand once had a huge demand in photography applications. However, the advent of digital photography has largely removed the need to use so much of the precious metal. It is now more likely to be seen in the medical arena, thanks to its toxic killing power against some bacteria, viruses and algae. This natural germicide lends itself to being used as cutlery for the same reasons and it's also a very visually appealing material.
Both metals come in a variety of forms which are normally crafted appropriately for their intended use. To this end, a gold bar would traditionally be associated with banking and gold investment, whereas gold or silver wire is more attuned for jewellery and electronics use.
