You know gold, and you have definitely heard of platinum in relation to jewellery, but unless you had any business with the periodic table in chemistry, you have most likely never heard of osmium, and for good reason.
Discovered back in 1803 by Smithson Tennant, Osmium has until recently been only used to produce very hard alloys for fountain pen tips, instrument pivots, needles and electrical contacts. It is also used in the chemical industry as a catalyst. This is in spite of the fact that it is over 1,500 times rarer than gold, has the highest density, compression modulus, and abrasion resistance of any element. It is also absolutely stunning to behold.
Unfortunately, in its powdery, raw form, Osmium oxide is volatile and very toxic, causing lung, skin and eye damage. Combined with its rarity, it comes as no surprise that jewellers were reluctant to touch it. That is until Swiss scientists discovered the process required to crystallize the raw form into solid bars was osmium able to be handled safely.
Since then, the market for crystallized osmium has boomed. In the past three years alone, the price for one gram of osmium has gone from $970 to $1,851. Investors who acquired osmium in March of 2020 have already seen a 26% increase in the value of their pieces.
What has been driving these surges? The metal is beautiful, for one thing, and demand has been increasing for collectors who wish to insert osmium into luxury jewellery pieces, watches, and accessories. Its reliable performance attracts investors who are used to dealing with precious metals and who see a safe long-term option.
However, what makes osmium a truly revolutionary precious metal is its security. Like a human fingerprint, every single piece of crystallized osmium has a unique crystal structure, one that is logged and stored in the Osmium World Database. Thanks to its digital tag, every sale of osmium is logged and tracked, and the verified identity of every piece of Osmium can be instantly called up with a quick scan of its assigned QR code.
Furthermore, its natural density means that it cannot be falsified the way that false gold bars have been created with lead or tungsten cores. Osmium is the world’s first and only unforgeable tangible asset.
For now, while osmium may be as beautiful as it is valuable, it is one precious metal that has not dominated the world of high jewellery. But who knows? Up until a couple of years ago, electric vehicles were a mere concept. Today, they are the future of transportation. In the same vein, osmium may one day replace diamonds and other precious stones in the haute jewellery collections of top jewellery houses.
Source: Dupont Registry