Gold refining is the final stage of the gold production and it consists of removing the impurities that remain in the precious metal after the smelting process. The companies that are specialized in refining are used to receiving both gold scrap and bars which they liquefy. Afterwards, the workers add borax and soda ash to the metal. With their help, the pure gold is separated from other precious metals and less precious metals.
When the procedure is over, a sample of the glittering metal is taken to a laboratory in order to determine if it is pure. If the gold is 99.9% pure then the workers can pour it into bars. The next step is determined to what the gold is intended.
When gold is combined with another metal they together form an alloy. You can tell alloys have been used with the precious metal by looking at its color: white- gold and nickel, silver, palladium; red/pink – gold and cooper; blue – gold an iron.
The glittering metal is measured in karats. This actually refers to how much gold is presented in an object versus another metal. If the karat is big, than the amount of precious metal is high. The 24 karat is 100% gold, the 12 karat has half as much.
People from different cultures prefer different types of karats. People from India like wearing 22 karat jewelry, while Europeans wear 18 karats and Americans are fond of 14 karat. This latter type of precious metal combines the glittering content with the affordability creating the perfect balance.
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