Make 2019 Your Year to Cash in on Palladium Scrap
People confuse palladium and platinum. Both metals are white, lustrous, tarnish-resistant . . . and rare. But if you compare the prices of palladium and platinum jewelry, you will notice immediately that a piece of palladium jewelry sells for about one-third more than a similar piece of platinum jewelry, even though both items weigh about the same.
Why is that? The simple answer is that palladium and platinum are different metals, and that palladium is currently trading for about one-third more than platinum is.
Then there is the fact that they are different elements. Palladium has an atomic weight of 46. Platinum has an atomic weight of 78, so the two elements occupy different positions on the periodic table. The only mine in the U.S. that produces palladium is in Stillwater, MO. There are deposits in Russia, Ethiopia, and Australia too, but the stuff is rare. Platinum is rare too, but more plentiful than palladium. Platinum is mined mostly in Canada, Montana, and at the Kondyor mine in Russia.
Another Reason Palladium Is Rare
Another reason for palladium’s rare status – and scarcity – is that palladium has not been used as widely in aerospace and other industries as platinum has. Common sources of platinum scrap include thermocouple wire, used laboratory testing equipment, aerospace fasteners and electronics, and in chemical catalysts that are used in a variety of industrial applications. Palladium, in contrast, is harder to find. You can find thin layers of it sandwiched between industrial ceramic components. Like platinum, it is also used as a catalyst in industrial and chemical processes. But overall, palladium is rarer and harder to find. Its rarity is one reason prices for the metal remain high.
Where Are You Most Likely to Find Palladium Scrap?
Okay, as we noted, palladium is rare. As you go hunting for precious metals, be on the lookout for bright, white metals that have not tarnished. Then to be sure they are not platinum or white gold (which scratches more easily than either platinum or palladium), call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 and send your discoveries to us for testing.
Where should you be on the lookout for palladium scrap? Here are some of the items that should be on your radar . . .
Jewelry, which can include rings, chains, bracelets and scrap from jewelry factories. Most of the palladium scrap you will find will come from these sources.
Palladium catalysts, which can include automotive catalysts, industrial catalysts, petroleum refining catalysts, and palladium foil catalysts. You will find them in old factories. The problem is, you might not know that you are looking at palladium until you have us test it for you.
Palladium alloys that are used in manufacturing, which can include palladium sputtering targets, palladium sponges, and palladium flake. Again, you might not know what you are looking at until we test it for you.
Palladium-plated items, which can include jewelry and decorative items.
Palladium resins, which are used in a variety of manufacturing processes, most often in metal fabrication.
To Profit from Palladium in 2019, Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners Today
If you have white metal items or bright, shiny white scrap (or if you know where to look for some), be sure to call our precious metals consultants at 800-426-2344. Palladium’s high value and high demand could make it one of the hottest investment metals in the coming few years.
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