Most metals have a value that correlates to how rare it is. Investing valuable metals has become an alternative viable to the more uncertain and unregulated stock market, particularly in the last decade. Many listed valuable metals on this list have different uses. Some are used for auto engines and aircraft components while others are used for jewelry. Here is a list of some of the world’s most valuable metals.
Rhodium
Found in 1803 by Wollaston, rhodium is used widely in optic instruments. Sterling silver is plated often with rhodium and gold is also plated with a thin layer of rhodium for enhanced appearance.
Gold
On earth, gold is sought after and recognizable. For centuries, this has been a point of no contention for different countries. Due to its desirability, malleability and durability, it comes as no surprise that gold is considered one of earth’s most valuable metals. It is also a great option for investment. China, Australia, USA and South Africa are the world’s largest gold producers.
Platinum
The world’s least reactive metal is platinum. This makes platinum one of the most valuable metals in the world, as it resists deterioration even at the highest temperatures.
Ruthenium
Part of the group of platinum metals, ruthenium is mined in the amount of 12 tonnes per year. To most other chemicals, ruthenium is motionless, just like the other platinum production groups.
Iridium
Among the metals international trade, iridium is the rarest. There has been more demands for iridium in the past years. It is used widely in light-emitting television diodes and for spark plugs.
Rhenium
One of the worlds’ densest metals, Rhenium also has the world’s highest melting points in terms of metals. Only carbon and tungsten surpass this metal in terms of melting point. Used widely to create parts for jet engines, rhenium is also used for thermocouples and filaments. It is molybdenum’s by-product which is a copper-mining by product. The leading producers of this valuable metal are the USA, Kazakhstan and Chile.
Palladium
In the multilayer ceramic capacitors electronic industry, palladium is used widely. It is also used in fusing materials and plating electronics.
Osmium
This silver-blue color metal is one of the world’s thickest. It has a high melting point and is fragile. America and Russia are the Osmium production leaders. These solidify alloys of platinum for filaments and electrical associates. Osmium is considered part of the platinum metal group.
Silver
Found in horn silver ores, silver is a by-product of smelting and dispensation of lead-zinc and gold ore. Chile, Mexico and China are the world-leaders in silver production. Compared to gold, silver is in shorter supply.
Indium
A result of the dispensation of zinc ore combined with copper, iron and lead ores, this metal is white, soft and gleaming in its purest form. During WWII Indium was first used widely as exterior layering for airplane engine bearings. The chemists Richter and Reich from Germany first discovered this metal when they looked for the thallium element in samples of ores of zinc.