Owing a precious metal could be one of the best investments that you could make.
Precious metals usually come in various forms and sizes. The most common ones are gold and silver, but other types of precious metals have more value than these two.
So before putting all your money to purchase all the golds and silvers in the market, you must take a peek at this list to see if you can find other precious metals to invest in.
Here is the list of the ten most valuable precious metals the world has ever seen.
Ten Most Upscale Precious Metal Money Can Buy
The precious metals and their prices mentioned in this list are compiled from different sources all over the Internet, including Gold Investments and 911Metallurgist.
#10: Indium
You may have recognized Indium as the atomic number 49 at the Periodic Table of Elements. But this pliable shiny white element is considered one of the softest metals on earth.
This chemical element can be liquified using a higher melting point than gallium or sodium, but not as hot as Tin and Lithium.
Hieronymus Theodor Ritcher and Ferdinand Reich originally discovered Indium in 1863 by using an optical spectrometer. These scientists based its name on the indigo blue line spotted in its spectrum.
The semiconductor industry mostly uses this precious metal to create solders, alloys, and flexible vacuum seals. If you want to invest in this metal, you need to spend at least $1 up to $5 for every gram of Indium, depending on its quantity and purity.
#9. Scandium
Scandium, labeled as Sc and atomic number 21.A in the table of elements is the ninth costliest precious metals the world has ever known.
It was first spotted by Swedish scientist Lars Nilsson in 1879 while doing spectral analysis of gadolinite and euxenite. It got its name from the country where Nilsson discovered it.
This silvery-white metal is often included in most of the uranium and rare-earth compounds. Yet only a handful of mines globally can produce a certain type of ores to be extracted.
You need to pay $44 to own one gram of Scandium acetate.
#8. Silver
This precious metal may be one of the most popular, which is why it belongs to the list of the most expensive the world has ever known.
Silver, also known for its chemical symbol Ag or its atom number 47, is famous for its high thermal and electrical conductivity and incomparable reflectivity among all metals.
There are plenty of uses for silver. Aside from creating bullion coins, it is also used to create systems for water filtration, solar panels, and valuable jewelry pieces.
At the moment, you may purchase a gram of silver for $0.77.
#7. Rhenium
One of the rarest metals that can be found on the crust of the earth is also one of the most expensive ones that you can find.
This metal called rhenium has a chemical symbol Re. Its atomic number is 75. Scientists first spotted it in 1908, and one of the last stable elements ever discovered.
People use rhenium to create nickel-based superalloys for turbine blades, combustion chambers, and jet engines’ exhaust nozzles.
The current market price for rhenium metal is approximately $1,300.
#6. Osmium
This hard transition metal with a bluish-white color belongs to the platinum group of chemicals. It is described as the most compact naturally-occurring element in the world.
Osmium is mostly used to create the nib tips of fountain pens or in electrical contacts.
Because it is one of the rarest elements that you can ever find, this precious metal usually comes at a very steep price. Osmium’s current world value is $400 per troy ounce.
#5: Iridium
Iridium is another hard, shiny silvery-white precious transition metal that is known to have the densest property.
It is considered as the metal with the highest corrosion-resistant property. It is also very abundant in the earth’s crust and meteorites.
Iridium is mostly produced in South Africa. It is currently worth $520 for every ounce.
#4: Ruthenium
Ruthenium is the chemical element that is labeled as Ru and atomic number 44 in the periodic table. It also belongs in the Platinum group.
It is a rare transition metal that was first unearthed by Russian scientist Earl Ernst Claus at the Kazan State University in 1844.
Generally used to create some electronic equipment and devices, you need to pay as much as $244 per troy ounce.
#3: Gold
It is not surprising to see gold in the most upscale precious metals in the market. It is also the most widely recognized among all the metals the world has ever known.
In its simplest form, gold appears a soft and malleable bright yellow metal. It can be liquified and shaped into various uses, including jewelry pieces, coins, or other valuable art pieces.
Today, gold comes with a $1,870 price tag per ounce.
#2: Rhodium
The world’s second most expensive precious metal is the Rhodium, one of the platinum group members.
This extremely rare precious metal is a dense, silvery-white transition metal with a high corrosion-resistant property.
Since it is the most expensive, you need to shell out $2,175 for every try ounce.
#1: Palladium
Palladium is tagged as the costliest precious metals in the world.
Discovered by British chemist William Hyde Wollaston in 1803, it belongs to the popular Platinum group of metals. It is currently used to create some of the most valuable and precious jewelry pieces in the market. It is also useful in creating dentistry products, medicine, and electronic equipment.
If you want to invest in palladium, you need to spend at least $2,338 per troy ounce.
Summary
These are the ten extravagantly expensive precious metals that you can ever find in the market. But each cent you will spend on these metals could be worth your investment in the long run.
