closed Osmium and ruthenium arc-melted 1 toz round ingots

[JoeLS]

Asking $950 for a 1 troy ounce osmium ingot and $750 for a 1 troy ounce ruthenium ingot. These metals usually are traded as sponge (powder), which for all platinum group metals is a drab dark gray.. In their fused state, however, both metals are  gem-like and visually stunning. Osmium ingots show the unique blue color of that metal, particularly in indirect sunlight. Ruthenium is perhaps the most beautiful of the platinum group metals. its  ingots are brilliant silver and have a complex luster with hints of pink, green, and gold, depending on the light source. Photos: Top: osmium; bottom: ruthenium.

 

osmium

[jbh]

these are cool! I am just not sure what the market is on them.

[JoeLS]

At the moment here is no market to speak of for osmium, and only a small market for ruthenium. You'll often see $400 as the "spot price" of osmium, but it is not a true spot price set by supply and demand,  just a suggested starting point for negotiation. A lot more ruthenium is traded than osmium, so its price tends to change more often than osmium's (which has been at $400 for decades)  The prices of both do fluctuate. Right now if you want to buy ruthenium powder you'll pay $11-13/gram. Six months ago it was $9-12 The price of osmium is $14-17/gram. I bought some at $12 a few years ago. But the thing about the less commonly used platinum group metals is that their price can spike dramatically when a new use for them is found. Awhile ago the price of ruthenium went from $35/toz to over $700. A few years ago rhodium was at $800/toz. Now it's around $8000. Iridium was $600/toz a few years ago. Now it's about $1700. In the 80's osmium briefly spiked to over $2000/toz. In 1980 palladium was about $60/toz, and no one knew what it was.  All of these metals have exceptional catalytic properties, are resistant to corrosion and wear, and are quite hard. So the are incredibly useful. As new uses are found the price of these metals will rise. The "strategy" for making money on them is to sit on them and wait for a price spike, then sell them on Ebay or some other site. When the price shoots up they are pretty easy to sell. Two months ago I sold a one toz iridium ingot that cost me $650 for $2100 a few weeks ago, when the spot price was around $1700. I think osmium will have its day.

Really, though, for the moment at least, these minor platinum group metals are not a particularly good investment. They are fascinating and beautiful objects that are fun to own.

One more thing: the "spot prices" of these metals are for the powder  (also called "sponge") form. In that form they are all a drab dark gray. You don't see how beautiful they are until they have been melted into ingots. This is difficult and expensive, especially osmium, which melts at 3033°C. Powdered osmium also produces a toxic vapor of OsO4, so unless you can store it in an oxygen free environment you really shouldn't have it around you. The ingots, though, do not oxidize and are completely safe to handle. Osmiun metal per se is not toxic. My price is based on the cost of the raw metal powders plus fabrication fees and other expenses. I aim for a 35% profit, which I think is reasonable give how difficult it is to get the ingots.

[J33per]

Holy c**p did i learn something today. Thank you sir. 

[TheSilverForum]

This trade topic has been automatically closed as it is older than 30 days old. If your item is still for sale or your wanted listing is still valid, please submit a new listing.