what exactly is 24k gold flake? I saw a bunch of auctions of 1 gram 24k gold flake ending in about an hour with no bids on them and starting bid is $0.99... so is it a gimick or is this actuallly worth it's weight in gold?
Gold is one of those metals that can be bent, pulled, and stretched to be incredibly thin. It is very malleable, and gold flake is typically what is used for book makers, inlayers, jewelers, etc...it is probably gold but just such an insignificant amount of it that would not make it's purchase worthwhile unless you were using it for some type of project. Some one more knowledgable, please fill in anything I neglected...
I don't know how to describe it, but I'm pretty sure that there is a lot more into it than that....I know there is something tricky about the flake...it's not always pure either...taken from another site after I googled a bit... "Don't was your $$ on this. Gold has the unique property that it can be thinned out more then any other metal known. I once saw a exibit at a science museum where a BB sized piece of gold was used to wallpaper a whole 10 x 10 wall in gold leaf. My point is that there is almost no gold in those gold leaf in water vials you see at tourist traps. like not even enough to fume 1/50th of a piece. Plus its usually not 24k." It's talking about the stuff in water or whatever, but it reiterates the point I brought up earlier that you have no real idea of how much gold is actually in there, or how thick the pieces are.
thanks for your help I know a good amount it seems on other things but never really learned anything about gold flake or leaf thanks again
Typically real gold leaf is 22-23k. Retail price for a gram would be about $70, but it is usually sold in sheets rather than weight. The only that I found sold by weight is "sprinkles" for those who like to sprinkle gold over their chocolate or other food. The eBay ad I saw specified that it was scrap from leaf and there was no guarantee as to purity. That would be disturbing for 2 reasons. First the leaf companies provide "imitation gold" of copper and zinc, which when in a gram bag would be hard to distinguish without testing, and that is the second point, the cost of assaying such a small amount of gold would be way more than a gram gold bar IMO. But it might make a nice gift for a kid, but don't put it on your chocolate in case it is zinc. P.s. I have only done one gold leaf project in my life, and never again if I can help it although the new gold leaf with a wax based support does keep the square flat. Saw a photo of a car that had been gold leafed this way, but the owner drove in a gritty wind and ruined it
Just to tell you the value of "gold flakes" I recently bought a auction of ebay for 1 oz of silver coins, and they threw in 2 vials of "gold flakes" free. Paid spot price for the silver too. got the two tubes sitting here, thinking about melting them down to do some gold plating har har not funny
Gold Flake is IMO just a lot of hype to sell whatever silver they are selling based on what I have seen on ebay. There was a 1-oz silver bar that I won on ebay and the ebay seller included 2 vials of gold flake for free.
Some people believe ingesting small amounts of gold is beneficial to your skin At any rate, it is often found on confections, in the well known schnapps mentioned above, Goldschlager and will occasionally be used on other foods prepared in restaurants to liven up and create a decadent display for diners of fine restaurants. I have been to Japanese sushi restaurants in Manhattan who have delicately placed tiny flakes on the fish or simply run a chopstick around the edge of a platter allowing the gold leaf to adhere and glitter around the food. I eaten it myself and it doesn't taste like chicken, in fact it has no noticeable flavor to speak of. :smile Here are some links to edible gold flake: DeLafée's Edible Gold (Shows an application on sushi as mentioned above. Also Video links in left column.) Edible Gold Leaf Sheets for Cakes & Chocolates, 23kt 25-Leaves (used on chocolates) Edible gold leaf dangers (eHow.com)
So, I buy some gold paint, paint a very smooth metallic surface, and then scrap off the gold paint into a vial and say, "gold flakes, no guarantee of purity." Any suck....ah, buyers?
i just don't see why people eat it? "gold is good for the skin", yea... i doubt it. i guess its just a gimmick. especially the alcohol. aimed towards teenagers trying to look cool with there gold filled drink.
If you are talking about those sites like Police Auctions .com go read independent reviews. All of their stuff is junk. For ex; ad will say value if ring is $800 and you bring it to jeweler and the say $2 fake from China and gold fades in color. The flakes were fake also. Non of these items are legitimate investments. They also sell Troy ounces of Gold but for unsuspecting buyers it also says...Gold milled or Gold Clad or Gold dipped. Do Not buy this is all fake and not worth the shipping. Again, do not waste your money on any..Auctions. com , they are making millions on complete fake junk. You can buy 1 Troy ounce of pure silver or Gold at legitimate bullion sites But not auctions starting at $1 a bid. Gold is approx $1300 per troy ounce. ....no one auctions it...you pay per ounce. Research before you part with your money. These sites are unethical.
yep, it's a blingy gimmick, but alcohol is not aimed at teenagers (directly at least)... a lot of adults fall for such lame gimmicks. it's purely decorative on foods.
I agree with almost all of that but to say that real gold 1oz bars or coins don't ever sell at auctions starting at $1 is untrue. But yeah, those police auctions or auctions where you buy credits and spend those credits on "bids" are a joke
