You might find this interesting about lightweight gold goods.

https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/new-alloy-creates-lighter-18k-gold/

Jim

 

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Don't like it. IMO a big part of the allure of gold is the density and weight. When I pick up a piece of gold, be it jewelry or coin, the first tactile sensation I get is one of satisfaction from the heft of it.

That's just me. YMMV

 

Certainly is interesting and I could envision industrial applications perhaps. Just not so much in jewelry. Could you see yourself on one knee proposing to the woman of your dreams presenting a ring that feels like a gum ball machine ring? I am like @masterswimmer. Gold should feel like gold. If this should somehow become a coin/bullion application I would be very disappointed.

 

I totally agree with Randy!

 

That's interesting, because I've been looking for "a metal so lightweight it could float on cappuccino froth."

 

That be a marshmallow Stevie

 

I was just wondering when the first gold-polymer $100 bill will be issued.

or maybe woven into hoarders "gold underwear" . Imagine showing up at the next CT convention with that. Jim

 

Next CT convention?

 

Next CT convention?

 

Darn it. I didn't know I missed the last one!

 

Maybe starting some local chapters, I would put Coin talk on my name tag!
or make some buttons like the East Coasters.

 

'Raffaele Mezzenga, professor of food and soft materials at ETH, believes the jewelry industry'.

So you can eat the stuff with less indigestion?

And heavens. This stuff will never replace a good whiskey or bourbon....

 

I didn't know we had one!

 

Never could get a taste for legalized moonshine, or even the homemade brews,
I prefer beer.

 

Nope...

From the paper:

>Abstract
>A new 18 karat light gold, composed of gold single crystals, amyloids, and a polymer latex matrix is developed. It is similar to a glassy plastic, yet lighter than aluminum and of use in watches, jewelry, radiation shielding, catalysis, and electronics. The material is prepared via a hydrogel precursor dried into an aerogel. Annealing of the polystyrene matrix under vacuum gives rise to a homogeneous template. The final apparent density and porosity of the material depend directly on the volumetric concentration of the starting solution used for hydrogel formation. After annealing, a homogeneous microstructure is obtained in which the shining gold single crystal platelets are evenly embedded in a polystyrene matrix. The material has a glass transition temperature of ≈105 °C which allows for annealing and molding above this temperature. A general scaling behavior is found for the Young's modulus of the material with the density. The Young's modulus of the material with a density of 1.7 g cm−3 is ≈50 MPa. The density and stiffness, as well as the color, of the material can be tuned depending on the final application.

If it's polystyrene, then it dissolves in Acetone, Xylene, Benzene, and Toluene...

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/...ng-polystyrene-dissolve-like-magic-video.html

"I had my nails done and my wedding ring dissolved into gold dust"

 

edit

 

HUH ???