Ruthenium metal ingot - one troy ounce - .9998 bullion - platinum group metal
Ruthenium belongs to the platinum group metals (PGMs) and is exceedingly rare. Worldwide annual production is estimated between 12 and 20 tonnes of ruthenium compared to over 3000 tonnes of gold. It is corrosion and wear resistant and its alloys can be superconductive. It has other unusual and unique properties and has applications in electronics, chemical and solar power industries. Please see the below links for more information.
Inscribed on our ingots are the chemical symbol (Ru), purity (99.98%), weight (one troy ounce), and a serial number (this number is unique and will vary). On the reverse is our logo. For the last couple batches we've sent these ingots along with iridium and osmium to our jewelry contractor for final polishing of their faces and we've seen a big improvement. In fact we believe they are quite stunning. With this batch we've also changed the dimensions a little to be more coin-like. The high polish doesn't come through as well in these pictures as we'd like but they are highly polished and beautiful. Though these ingots are newly minted, occasionally there can be tiny dings or edge chips, small scratches and other minor imperfections that do not detract from the inherent value of this exceptionally rare metal. Weight and purity are guaranteed, as always, by Rare World Metals Mint. Our ruthenium ingots are considered safe, though the powder form of ruthenium oxidizes readily to ruthenium tetroxide which is toxic so please keep them intact. As we suggest with all of our metals please store them in a safe place, do not ingest, and keep out of the reach of children.
Each ingot will be shipped with an assay certificate and every shipment will include our velvet logo bag. If you are not completely satisfied with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to return it for a full refund (buyer to pay return shipping). Domestic shipping is free for all orders over $99 (enter code free shipping at checkout). For orders of $99 or under, domestic shipping is $9.95. International shipping is via DHL, FedEx, or USPS international express and costs $45 for shipments up to a pound (9 one ounce ingots or less including packaging materials) and $10 for each additional pound. International customers please be aware that your country may levy import duties and/or VAT taxes on your purchase from us. We have nothing to do with this and cannot pay it for you. If you refuse our package because of this extra cost we will take it back and will refund your order in full once received minus the cost of the return shipping. If you are unsure what these import costs will be please check with your country's customs office.
Please also see our blog on "The Other 3 PGMs":
Note: We recently started buying back our ruthenium ingots and will offer them for resale as they come available at a discount when in the same or nearly the same condition as the corresponding batch was when new.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_elements_in_Earth%27s_crust
http://www.curiousnotions.com/home/metals.asp
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/statistics/riskList.html
http://www.platinumgroupmetals.net/home/default.aspx
https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/the-worlds-10-most-precious-metals