What is fake gold really made of?

The coin is fake, the GOLD GAuGE is real

The first time someone handles gold, they’re inevitably surprised. Not by how shiny or beautiful the color is, mind you, but by the weight. Gold is heavy. In fact, it’s one of the densest elements found in nature. And it’s this high density that makes it challenging - though not impossible - to pass off a gold-plated slug as the real thing. There’s a reason fool’s gold doesn’t fool anyone…

Material Density (g/cm^3)

Gold 19.3

Iridium 22.5

Osmium 22.6

Platinum 21.5

Plutonium 19.7

Rhenium 20.8

Tungsten 19.3

As we see here,  there are a few elements that could, in theory, convincingly replicate the weight of gold. However, most come with drawbacks that make them unsuitable candidates.

The price of iridium trades for $4,725/ounce - almost double that of gold at the moment. Plutonium is $113,400/ounce. Platinum, while not quite as costly as these two, is still impractically expensive. 

On the other hand, osmium and rhenium are two of the rarest elements in the crust. The market for these materials is so limited that pricing information is difficult to ascertain. The door is certainly open for their use in fraudulent gold, but given their scarcity, it seems unlikely.

That leaves just one element on the list: Tungsten. With a price of roughly $20/ounce, and a density that almost perfectly matches gold, it makes for a compelling candidate. Traditionally, tungsten was seen as an extraordinarily brittle metal that’s difficult to work with. But nowadays - with advancements in material science - these issues are a thing of the past.

So now we know what materials are used to make fake gold. Next time we’ll dive into how those fakes are designed…