general question about refining gold

[whitesid]

i know how the process to get the gold off fingers and other electronic equipment. but is there any difference to the process when you are refining gold say like jewelry that is 14k and 12k. due to the fact that there is also the other metal in the solution to?

 

[aflacglobal]

Yes !
Gold on fingers and Cpu's are plated gold. This gold is usually pure in form but just lays on the surface of the finger. Get rid of the base metal it is plated on and the gold is still in pure form.

10,14,18 kt gold, or what ever you have if it ain't 24 kt is an alloy material which means the gold has impurities mixed in with it.

Remember gold is not used on fingers and such for it's electrical conductivity. It is used for it's non-oxidizing properties. This is because you don't want to lose electrical contacts between 2 separate points.

Gold that is used in jewelery is alloyed with other metals to help stiffen or make the material harder so it can be worn without disfiguring the product. Also for color, luster, non-oxidizing effects, etc.