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Is gold harder than steel?

Without a doubt, gold is a beautiful and popular precious metal. But it's also soft and tends to scratch easily. Making it stronger requires mixing it with other metals, but that reduces its quality. While steel is technically an alloy rather than a metal, it is the strongest alloy currently available.

For those looking to invest in gold, researching Gold IRA investment reviews can help you make an informed decision. Researchers are trying to create stronger combinations of elements, but for now, steel mixed with some other elements is considered to be the strongest. Steel is made of iron and carbon and is a very versatile alloy. Because of its versatility, it is an excellent choice for a variety of projects. Take a look below and see the different metals such as platinum, palladium, titanium, tungsten, brass, steel, copper, gold and silver to see how they compare to each other in terms of hardness.

While that's an advantage for watch wearers looking for durability, there's a downside because it's slightly more fragile than pure gold, which is soft. But I imagine that silver would be softer, since 8-carat gold would contain more alloys in the mix. Others have been able to make hard gold in the past, but haven't been able to achieve the level of hardness required to meet the 18-carat standard, which separates real gold from impure gold. Now, an EPFL research team in Switzerland, with the support of the Swiss watch manufacturer Hublot, has created high-quality very hard gold.

Currently, Hublot watches made with the new gold are preparing for a major jewelry exhibition in Basel next year. Since gold does not rust, there could be other applications besides jewelry, although the cost of its higher quality and its weight could limit uses.