Although cadmium is not a precious metal, there is money to be made recycling cadmium silver contacts.  (See “Recycling Silver Cadmium Contacts Can Give You a Big Payday,” a post we published on this blog in 2016.) 

Do you invest in precious metals? Are you concerned about harming the environment?

If you answered yes to those questions, let’s start today’s post with a general observation . . .

A gold ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a gold-based investment you can buy as though it were a stock or mutual fund. And like those investments, you can monitor how well your ETFs are performing, and what prices they are trading for. The companies that create and sell gold ETFs buy a quantity of gold bullion and allow investors like you and me to invest in partial ownership of them. Gold ETFs offer convenience – you can call your financial consultant at Fidelity or another investment company – and say, “Buy me some shares in a gold ETF,” and you are off and running with your gold investments. And because their performance is tied to gold trading prices, it is easy to keep an eye on how well your investment is performing.

Did you know that gambling casinos typically generate a profit of about 2% on all the money that is bet in their facilities? So if $10 million is wagered in a casino in one day, they make $200,000! That explains why casino hotels are likely to offer you a cheap room to stay in, or even a free one. The more people they get through their doors, the more money they make.

Yes, there is! It’s called Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners. And although we are located in Connecticut, we are as close to you as your local Post Office, FedEx or UPS shipping office.

If you’re clearing out an electronics store or supplier, you have good opportunities to find precious metals – most often gold – in many kinds of electronic devices.

Whether you’re clearing out or cleaning up a hospital, a nursing home, a testing lab or a medical facility of a different kind, you have good opportunities to cash in on precious metals.

Medical facilities are home to many kinds of supplies and equipment that contain gold, silver, platinum and even cadmium.

We have all been there when recently engaged young women show off their new “rocks” to friends or work colleagues. “How big is the diamond?” has been the most important question that people want to know (or are too respectful to ask) at those times. Yet a recent article in MarketWatch.com, “J-Lo’s engagement ring is reportedly worth $1 million — is it time to ditch the diamond?” implies that young people today are losing interest in how big a diamond is in an engagement ring, or what it is worth.

We have watched stories about it on Fox News and other news channels. We have read about it in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. 

What are we talking about? We are talking about the fact that flooding in California has exposed veins of gold that have been hidden for decades. Some of these hidden deposits of gold were apparently not discovered during the famous gold rush of 1849. And now, a lot of prospectors who have heard the news about a new gold rush are heading to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to pan for gold in streams. Some of them are reportedly using more than pans to look for gold; they are bringing in sophisticated equipment to look for it.

“My grandfather was a master jeweler and jewelry repairman,” a caller told us recently. “Unfortunately, he recently passed away, and now we have the job of emptying his workshop. Can you give me some advice on what we should be looking for?”

We haven’t written about drones on this blog for several years. In the time since, some things have stayed the same in the world of drones, and some things haven’t.

Is mercury a precious metal? No, but if you invest in precious metals, there are things about mercury you should understand.

A man who was emptying out a storage building owned by a company that installed security alarms found a storage cabinet stocked with 200 unused key pads. He got excited and got them tested, only to find out that each of them contained less than a dime’s worth of gold. But then there was the guy who emptied out a factory where production lines were designed and installed; he found unused thermocouples that turned out to be worth more than $1,000.

As we write today’s post, rhodium is trading at $2,620 on the London Fix. And investors are buying 1 oz. rhodium bullion bars for up to $2,900.

But if you shop online, you will discover that rhodium-plated rings, earrings and chains are selling for $20.00 or less. That is not a typo – they really are selling for surprisingly low prices. What is going on? How can that be?

When you go looking for gold, you will usually find items that contain very small quantities of it. You might find a picture frame that is covered with gold leaf, a printed circuit board that has gold-covered contact pins, or a pair of gold-plated eyeglass frames.

Let’s start today’s post with a riddle for you to answer . . .

What looks like spaghetti but is made of platinum, tungsten, gold and other precious metals?

We are willing to bet we didn’t fool you with that one. The answer to the riddle is thermocouple wire.

We have written in the past about the importance of thoroughly inspecting old pieces of furniture before you sell them or toss them away.

A recent news story from England serves as an important reminder of how valid that advice is.

Last year, we visited the remarkable rare book collection at Saint Bonaventure University in Olean, New York. During that visit, we were privileged to get a close look at some extremely rare old books and manuscripts.

Have you ever worked for a company that was run in a somewhat unusual – maybe even crazy – way? Here are some stories of companies that were . . .

Here’s a trick question for you.

If you visit an automobile junkyard and find a wrecked Tesla Model S sitting next to a wrecked 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, which one of them contains more precious metal? And if you are someone who likes to collect and recycle precious metal scrap, which one should you pull apart?