Should I Polish my Bullion Collection?

We strongly recommend that you polish your bullion no more than once a year in order to avoid polishing wear. 

When bullion particularly such as cast bars s professionally polished too often, it can shorten the life span of your items, for this reason we would suggest not brush polishing your collection more than once a year and leave minted bars in its original packaging.

How to Deal with Oxidation in Silver Products

Silver can come in as Fine Silver either Minted or Cast but there are other decorative objects that may be sterling silver which can slowly oxide over time particularly if not kept in a cools secure environment. It is possible to re-oxidize  your collection. Please consult with your local jeweller for this service.

Silver Care & Polish

We recommend you use a polishing cloth to remove mild tarnishing marks in conjunction with silver tarnish removal products such as SILVO for heavier tarnishing.  Use a small piece of cotton to apply the tarnish removal cream by rubbing the silver in small circular motions. Once the tarnish has been removed rinse the silver item in water and wash your hands thoroughly and dry them well.

Please not feel tempted to use 'internet tricks' such a tooth paste to polish your jewellery, toothpaste can cause scratches and damage to silver and gold alike.

We strongly recommend that you polish your collection no more than once a year in order to avoid polishing wear and to again leave your collection in its original packaging wherever possible.

Silver Tarnish and Care

Silver (Ag) is a precious metal known for its shiny and distinct look. Similar to most metals silver will tarnish over time. Part of the natural beauty of silver is it’s tarnish This will show up as a discoloration that may eventually turn into blue/black. This will usually occur on the points of silver bars that are casted that come in contact with the silver irritant or skin, or on parts of the bar that maybe difficult to clean.

Tarnish occurs when silver comes in to contact with Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) in the air or its immediate surroundings.

The speed at which sterling silver tarnishes can be affected by it's general surroundings and environment. Factors include, but are not limited to: humidity, pollution, the Ph level of your skin and sweat, any chemicals you come in to contact with as well the food and water you may consume.

Tarnishing is often evident that silver has been counterfeited as In the production of sterling silver copper is not 100% silver but using other metal alloys such as copper produces its own tarnish which may contribute to the discoloration of the sterling silver.

We would recommend as general guideline to avoid coming in to contact with the following as they can tarnish your Sterling silver items.

• Smoke
• Solvents
• Some paints
• Perfumes
• Hand creams
• Foods with high salt count
• Vinegar
• Detergents that include phosphates
• Acetone

We strongly recommend that you polish your bullion no more than once a year in order to avoid polishing wear.

How to Keep Investment Gold

Gold should be kept in a secure  cool environment, particularly care of coinage such as sovereigns should be kept in plastic encasements, coin holders or safe as to avoid any chips or accidental breakage if combibars. In all cases you should keep in original packaging and leave unopened. Although the market value for gold will remain, if your trading or collecting certain historical pieces much attention its placed on the final finish of the item for inspection.

Here are some tips for dealing with gold to prevent product damage and loss of value.

• Always hold the gold by the edges.
• Do not remove coins or combibar plates from the packaging (plastic capsule, vacuum pack).Do not touch the surface of the coin or plate, as fingerprints will reduce its value.
• If you need to touch the product, it is recommended to wear clean white gloves.
• Do not try to bite the gold to check its softness.
• Keep the coins in separate holders. Contact with each other can cause scratches and scratches on the coins.
• Do not allow gold coins or plates to rub against any surface.

Enjoying your Collection

If you need to take the gold out of the package, place it on a clean and soft surface. The most ideal surface is velvet. Protect coinage from fingerprints by using cotton gloves. A clear plastic capsule will provide not just protection! but expose the product in an elegant way, and will also add extra value.

Weight and Purity Explained

Although the weight of gold and silver is sometimes measured in kilograms and grams, the official unit of weight for expressing the weight of precious metals is the troy ounce (pharmacy ounce). One troy ounce (oz) is 31.1034768 grams. It is worth noting that a troy ounce is not the same as a commercial ounce, the latter being equal to about 28.34 grams.

The purity of gold and silver is measured to the nearest thousandth, i.e. how many parts of a thousand are completely pure metal. For example, the gold sample of a 100 gram plate of PAMP is 999.9, which means that the plate consists of 99.99% pure gold. Another example is the Double Eagle $ 20 gold coin, which weighs 33,43624 grams and has a gold sample of 900. This means that the coin has a pure gold content of 90%, or 33.43 x 0.9 = 30,092 grams.

In addition to the gold sample, the traditional unit of precious metal content is the carat (usually the symbol K is used). The largest possible carat size is 24, which means 99.99 percent or more pure gold. In Europe, gold jewellery is traditionally made in 14 and 18 carat purity, with 14 and 18 parts of the 24 being pure gold, respectively. This corresponds to 58.3 and 75 percent, or 583 and 750 gold samples.