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Rhodium

Rhodium

Rhodium is derived from the Greek word meaning “Rose” and was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. Rhodium is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and the atomic number 45. It is a rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion resistant and chemically inert transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. Rhodium only had minor applications up until 1976 with the first major application being electroplating for decorative uses and as corrosion-resistant coating for the three-way catalytic converter by Volvo, ultimately increasing the demand for Rhodium. Did you know… Rhodium is a member of the Platinum Group Elements (PGE) Rhodium is a rare...

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Vegetable Ivory - the Tagua nut

Vegetable Ivory - the Tagua nut

Vegetable ivory also know as the tagua nut, is a product named for its resemblance to animal ivory and comes from the very hard white endosperm of the seeds of certain palm trees. Vegetable ivory is native to South America. In the 1880’s vegetable ivory was used to manufacture of buttons. Vegetable ivory has also been used in the making of; dice, jewelry, and artistic carvings. It is a very hard and dense material very similar to stone.   Shown in this image from K. Brunini Jewels a Tagua nut and diamond scarab bracelet with a price tag of $80,290 USD.

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