# Help Need for melting gold Aurums 24k gold



## Colin82 (Feb 23, 2015)

Hi,

I have a bunch of gold Aurums I am trying to melt. These Aurums are as thin as a dollar bill, about the same size, and are 24k with a polyester backing. When I attempt to melt I am left with a bunch of black ash mixed in with gold flakes, and the gold does not really seem to melt. Has anyone had experience melting these gold Aurums? What am I doing wrong ,or, what should I be doing to remove the black ash?

Regards,
CJM (COLIN 82)


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## yar (Feb 23, 2015)

Aurum is latin for gold. What is it that you are trying to process. Gold Aurum makes no sense. Can you post a picture of the material prior to melting?


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## rewalston (Feb 23, 2015)

The gold Aurum, has been released by a few companies that I've seen.

"The Aurum protects a precise amount of gold between layers of durable polyester. In the form of an Aurum, gold is more convenient, affordable, versatile, and trustworthy than ever before.
Using a proprietary process, very thin and precise quantities of gold are accumulated between layers of polyester film. On a standard 1/10 gram Aurum, the gold is 404nm thick, approximately one percent of the width of a human hair.
The precise quantity of gold is verified through rigorous testing by Valaurum ®, our manufacturer, and independent laboratories.
The gold in an Aurum is in a thin sheet, so it is easier to authenticate than gold hidden within a coin or bar. The gold in an Aurum is also easy to recover using standard assay methods. The Aurum is printed with high resolution, full-color text and graphics. The result is a new, beautiful way to use gold for artistic, commemorative and branding purposes. We are developing Aurum made with other precious metals. This unique process has U.S. and international patents pending in Europe, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, India, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere.
Learn more about the verification, authentication, and recovery process of each Aurum here."
Source www.valaurum.com
states they are roughly 1/10th of a gram...


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## g_axelsson (Feb 23, 2015)

rewalston said:


> The gold Aurum, has been released by a few companies that I've seen.
> 
> "The Aurum protects a precise amount of gold between layers of durable polyester. In the form of an Aurum, gold is more convenient, affordable, versatile, and trustworthy than ever before.
> ...


I think it's latin for "Snake oil".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_oil

I would incinerate, leach or pan the ash and then process it with standard gold refining methods.

Göran

Edited to add some math :

According to their website they claim that $100 per gram is 160% of spot and the 25% volume discount is approximately at spot! That means the gold spot price is either $1943/ounce or $2488/ounce!

At 404 nm = 0.4 um it is thinner than ordinary gold plated fingers and worth about 18 cents per square inch at $1200/ounce.

A 0.1g Aurum would have the size of 3.3x6.6 inches as shown on their web site.


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## justinhcase (Feb 23, 2015)

How fantastic for all the Chinese Counterfeiters.
A hole new and easy market for them.
It might be a good idea when every one has there own cheap and reliable pocket XRF analyzer.
But is just a proof of concept at the moment.
So you are looking for 1.5433grains of Au.
I hope you have very good lab Etiquette as that is not a very large sample to work with.
The smaller the volume you work with the greater the percentage you are lightly to loos.


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## jason_recliner (Feb 23, 2015)

They've also said:


> The Peak Prosperity Aurum is a small-sized issue. Individual Aurum are approximately 250% of spot price, and with the volume discount, the cost is approximately double spot price.
> The Aurum protects a precise amount of gold between layers of durable polyester.
> Every Aurum isssue is painstakingly verified using industry-standard and proprietary techniques.


So at least they're clear about the high price. And spot is listed on their homepage.

But this...


> In the form of an Aurum, gold is more convenient, affordable, and trustworthy than ever before.


...might be a bit of a stretch. It looks legitimate to me, though not the best investment choice.


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## nickvc (Feb 24, 2015)

Instead of melting the things I'd put it on eBay and sell it for more than its worth without all the work 8)


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