GUIDES & INSIGHT
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Lab Grown or Natural Diamonds: What Is the Difference?
Lab grown and natural diamonds are the same material with the same hardness and appearance. What differs is price, supply and resale. An honest comparison...
Read guideFrom Ore to Bar: How Gold Is Refined
From ore containing grams per tonne to a struck coin. Dore bars, the Miller and Wohlwill refining processes, LBMA accreditation, and why each production stage...
Read guideWhat Moves the Gold Price?
Gold responds to real interest rates, the US dollar, central bank buying and uncertainty, and these often conflict. Why supply matters less for gold than...
Read guideHow Is the Gold Price Actually Set?
There is no single official gold price. How the over the counter market works, what the LBMA benchmark auctions are, what loco London means, and...
Read guideWhy Do Central Banks Buy Gold?
Central banks hold gold because it is nobody's liability, carries no credit risk and cannot be frozen when held domestically. The institutional reasoning explained.
Read guideProof Coins or Bullion Coins: What Is the Difference?
The same coin design is issued as bullion and as proof at very different prices. What the proof process involves, why the premium is often...
Read guidePhysical Gold or Gold ETFs: What Is the Difference?
Physical bullion and gold ETFs are genuinely different things. An even handed comparison of counterparty risk, costs, liquidity and delivery, from a physical dealer.
Read guideCommon Bullion Myths, Corrected
Eight beliefs about bullion that cause real problems, from cleaning tarnished silver to assuming bigger bars are always better value, and what is actually the...
Read guideKeeping Records of Your Bullion
An hour of record keeping matters for insurance claims, resale and anyone dealing with your holding if you cannot. What to record, where to keep...
Read guideAssay Cards, Serial Numbers and Sealed Packaging
Assay cards, serial numbers and sealed mint tubes are part of the product, not disposable packaging. Why an intact seal matters and what changes when...
Read guideWhat Is Silver Actually Used For?
Around half of silver demand is industrial. Electronics, solar, medical and brazing uses explained, plus why consumed silver does not return to the market.
Read guidePlatinum Bars and Coins: What to Know
Platinum is rarer than gold, harder to produce, and driven substantially by industrial demand. Here is how platinum bullion differs on purity, premiums and liquidity.
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