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The fineness of a precious metal object is exclusively determined by its weight in pure gold.
Answer: False
The fineness of a precious metal object denotes the proportion of pure precious metal relative to its total weight, which includes any alloying base metals or impurities.
The karat system measures gold purity in parts per 1,000.
Answer: False
The karat system measures gold purity in parts per 24, not parts per 1,000. The millesimal fineness system uses parts per 1,000.
Millesimal fineness expresses purity by indicating the number of parts of pure metal per 100 parts of the total alloy by mass.
Answer: False
Millesimal fineness indicates the number of parts of pure metal per 1,000 parts of the total alloy by mass, not per 100.
The carat system for gold purity is based on volume rather than mass.
Answer: False
The carat system measures gold purity by mass, not volume. The volumetric proportion can differ due to varying densities of alloyed metals.
Fine weight refers to the total weight of an alloy, including both precious and base metals.
Answer: False
Fine weight refers specifically to the weight of the pure precious metal component within an alloy, not the total weight of the alloy.
The term 'millesimal' in fineness refers to parts per hundred.
Answer: False
The term 'millesimal' refers to parts per thousand, not parts per hundred.
The spellings 'carat' and 'karat' refer to different measurement systems for gold purity.
Answer: False
While 'carat' and 'karat' are different spellings, they both refer to the same measurement system for gold purity, based on parts per 24.
What does the 'fineness' of a precious metal object primarily indicate?
Answer: The weight of pure precious metal relative to the total weight.
Fineness denotes the proportion of pure precious metal within an object relative to its total mass, encompassing any base metals or impurities.
Which system expresses precious metal purity using parts per 1,000?
Answer: Millesimal fineness
Millesimal fineness is the system that expresses precious metal purity as parts per 1,000.
The carat system for gold purity is based on:
Answer: Mass, with 24 parts representing pure gold.
The carat system measures gold purity based on mass, dividing the total into 24 parts, where pure gold constitutes 24 parts.
What does 'fine weight' refer to in the context of precious metal alloys?
Answer: The weight of the pure precious metal component.
'Fine weight' specifically denotes the mass of the pure precious metal contained within an alloy.
The term 'millesimal' in millesimal fineness directly translates to:
Answer: Parts per thousand
The term 'millesimal' signifies 'parts per thousand,' indicating the proportion of pure precious metal in an alloy out of every 1,000 parts by mass.
The primary motivation for alloying base metals with precious metals is to augment the object's intrinsic monetary value.
Answer: False
Base metals are incorporated into precious metals not to increase cost, but rather to enhance hardness and durability, modify color, reduce overall expense, or circumvent the cost of achieving extreme purity. For instance, copper is frequently alloyed with silver to improve its resilience for coinage and jewelry.
18 karat gold is equivalent to 750 in the millesimal fineness system.
Answer: True
18 karat gold represents 18 parts pure gold out of 24, which is 75% gold. In the millesimal system, 75% is expressed as 750 parts per 1,000.
The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin is typically minted with a fineness of 999.9.
Answer: True
The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin is indeed typically minted with a fineness of 999.9, also known as 'four nines fine' gold.
In Germany, the minimum standard for gold fineness is 9 karat.
Answer: False
The minimum standard for gold fineness in Germany is 333, which corresponds to 8 karat gold, not 9 karat.
The most common standard for jewelry in the United States is 750 fineness (18 karat).
Answer: False
The most common standard for jewelry in the United States is 585 fineness (14 karat), not 750 fineness (18 karat), which is more common in Europe.
Higher gold purities than 750 fineness (18 karat) are often used for gemstone-set jewelry to ensure stones are held securely.
Answer: False
Lower gold purities, such as 750 fineness (18 karat), are often preferred for gemstone-set jewelry because the alloy needs to be sufficiently hard to securely hold the stones.
The designation '24-karat gold' in commerce guarantees absolute 100% purity.
Answer: False
In commerce, 24-karat gold is permitted to have a minimum purity of 99.95%, acknowledging the difficulty of achieving absolute 100% purity.
Which of the following is a primary reason for adding base metals to precious metals like gold?
Answer: To enhance hardness and durability.
Base metals are added to precious metals primarily to enhance hardness and durability, making the resulting alloy more resilient for practical applications.
If a gold alloy is described as '750' in the millesimal system, what is its equivalent in the karat system?
Answer: 18 karat
A millesimal fineness of 750 signifies 750 parts per 1,000, which equates to 75% gold. This corresponds to 18 karat gold (18/24 = 75%).
What is the typical fineness for modern gold jewelry in most of Europe?
Answer: 750 (18 karat)
In most of Europe, 750 fineness, equivalent to 18 karat, is the typical standard for modern gold jewelry.
Why is 750 fineness (18 karat) often the maximum used for gemstone-set jewelry?
Answer: It is sufficiently hard to securely hold gemstones.
750 fineness (18 karat) gold is often used for gemstone-set jewelry because its increased hardness allows it to securely hold gemstones without deforming the setting.
In commerce, what is the minimum purity required for gold to be designated as 24-karat?
Answer: 99.95%
Commercial designation of 24-karat gold permits a minimum purity of 99.95%, acknowledging the practical challenges of achieving absolute 100% purity.
What is the minimum fineness standard for gold in Germany after 1884?
Answer: 333 (8 karat)
Since 1884, Germany's minimum standard for gold fineness has been 333, equivalent to 8 karat.
Which common gold alloy is typically used for jewelry in the United States?
Answer: 585 fineness (14 karat)
The most common gold alloy used for jewelry in the United States is 585 fineness, which corresponds to 14 karat gold.
What is the millesimal fineness for Chinese Gold Panda coins?
Answer: 999
Chinese Gold Panda coins are typically minted with a millesimal fineness of 999, also known as 24 karat.
The American Buffalo gold coin is known for its high purity, typically minted at:
Answer: 999.9 fineness
The American Buffalo gold coin is minted with a high purity of 999.9 fineness, often referred to as 'four nines fine' gold.
Which of the following is NOT a reason mentioned for adding base metals to precious metals?
Answer: To achieve higher purity levels
Adding base metals does not achieve higher purity levels; rather, it is done to increase hardness, durability, alter color, or decrease cost.
The legal definition of 24-karat gold in commerce allows for a minimum purity of:
Answer: 99.95%
In commercial contexts, 24-karat gold is legally defined as having a minimum purity of 99.95%.
Historical coinage commonly utilized 'coin silver,' an alloy comprising approximately 90% silver and 10% copper by mass.
Answer: True
The alloy known as 'coin silver,' frequently employed in historical coinage, is characterized by a composition of approximately 90% silver and 10% copper by mass, rendering it more durable than pure silver.
Sterling silver has a millesimal fineness of 900.
Answer: False
Sterling silver has a millesimal fineness of 925, indicating 92.5% pure silver. A fineness of 900 is known as 'coin silver'.
Britannia silver has a lower purity than Sterling silver.
Answer: False
Britannia silver (958 fineness) has a higher purity than Sterling silver (925 fineness).
In Britain, silver fineness was traditionally expressed in grams per troy pound.
Answer: False
Traditionally in Britain, silver fineness was expressed in troy ounces and pennyweights per troy pound, not grams.
The U.S. Coinage Act of 1792 defined 'standard silver' with a fineness of 900.
Answer: False
The U.S. Coinage Act of 1792 defined 'standard silver' with a fineness of 892.4 (approximately 1485/1664), not 900.
A fineness of 720 is sometimes used for silver coins and jewelry in Mexico and the Netherlands.
Answer: True
A fineness of 720 is indeed a standard used for some silver coins and jewelry in Mexico and the Netherlands.
Pure silver is very soft and often alloyed to increase its hardness for practical use.
Answer: True
Pure silver is indeed quite soft, necessitating alloying with other metals like copper to increase its hardness and durability for practical applications such as coins and jewelry.
What is the typical composition of Sterling silver?
Answer: 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper
Sterling silver is typically composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, most commonly copper, providing enhanced durability.
What is the millesimal fineness for 'coin silver'?
Answer: 900
'Coin silver' has a millesimal fineness of 900, indicating 90% pure silver.
The 'Britannia silver' standard has a fineness of:
Answer: 958 parts per 1,000
The 'Britannia silver' standard has a fineness of 958 parts per 1,000.
Traditionally in Britain, how was the fineness of silver expressed?
Answer: In troy ounces and pennyweights per troy pound.
Traditionally in Britain, silver fineness was expressed by stating the mass of pure silver in troy ounces and pennyweights per troy pound.
The U.S. silver coins minted from 1795 up to 1964 (excluding later proof coins) typically used which fineness standard?
Answer: Coin silver (900)
U.S. silver coins minted from 1795 up to 1964 typically used the 'coin silver' standard, which has a fineness of 900.
What is the millesimal fineness for Britannia silver?
Answer: 958
Britannia silver has a millesimal fineness of 958, indicating 95.8% pure silver.
Platinum jewelry commonly uses a millesimal fineness of 999.95.
Answer: False
While 999.95 is a high purity for platinum, commonly used for bullion, platinum jewelry typically uses a fineness of 950.
The purest gold ever produced was 999.999 fineness, refined by the Royal Canadian Mint.
Answer: False
The purest gold ever produced was 999.999 fineness, refined by the Perth Mint in 1957. The Royal Canadian Mint produces 999.99 fineness.
The Royal Canadian Mint produces commemorative coins with a fineness of 999.99.
Answer: True
The Royal Canadian Mint regularly produces commemorative coins with a fineness of 999.99, which is considered 'five nines fine' purity.
Which of the following is the highest purity of gold currently manufactured, according to the source?
Answer: 999.99 ('five nines fine')
The highest purity of gold currently manufactured, as indicated, is 999.99 ('five nines fine'), produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The Perth Mint produced 999.999 ('six nines fine') historically.
Which of the following is a common millesimal fineness value for platinum jewelry?
Answer: 950
A common millesimal fineness for platinum jewelry is 950, indicating 95% pure platinum.
The word 'carat' originates from the Greek word 'keration,' referring to the fruit of the carob tree.
Answer: True
The term 'carat' is derived from the Greek word 'keration,' meaning 'fruit of the carob tree,' which was historically used as a unit of weight.
The Roman Emperor Constantine I established the 24-part system for gold purity by minting the 'solidus' coin.
Answer: True
The 24-part system for gold purity is believed to originate from Emperor Constantine I's standardization of the 'solidus' coin, which was divided into 24 parts.
What historical precedent is believed to have established the 24-part system for gold purity?
Answer: The standardization of the Roman 'solidus' coin.
The 24-part system for gold purity is thought to originate from the Roman Emperor Constantine I's standardization of the 'solidus' coin, which was divided into 24 parts.
Millesimal fineness values used for hallmarks are often rounded to a four-figure number for standardization.
Answer: False
Millesimal fineness values used for hallmarks are typically rounded to a three-figure number for standardization, not four.
Metallurgical assaying is a non-destructive method for verifying the fineness of precious metals.
Answer: False
Metallurgical assaying is a destructive method used to verify fineness, unlike X-ray fluorescence (XRF), which is non-destructive.
Modern government-issued bullion coins often specify their total weight, not their fine weight.
Answer: False
Modern government-issued bullion coins frequently specify their fine weight directly on the coin, not just their total weight.
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) can be misled by thick plating when verifying precious metal fineness.
Answer: True
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measures surface composition and can be inaccurate if an object has thick plating, as the plating material might be detected instead of the underlying metal.
Which of the following is a primary method for verifying the fineness of precious metals that involves destroying the object?
Answer: Metallurgical assaying
Metallurgical assaying is a destructive technique used to verify the fineness of precious metals by analyzing the object's composition after it has been sampled or consumed.
How is fine weight often indicated on modern government-issued bullion coins?
Answer: By directly embossing the fine weight of pure precious metal.
Modern government-issued bullion coins frequently indicate their fine weight directly on the coin itself.
What is the primary limitation of using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for verifying precious metal fineness?
Answer: It can only measure the surface of the metal.
The primary limitation of XRF is that it measures only the surface composition of the metal, which can be misleading if the object is plated.
What is the minimum fineness required for gold bars to meet the 'Good Delivery' standard?
Answer: 995
Gold bars must have a minimum fineness of 995 to meet the 'Good Delivery' standard required for trading on the London Bullion Market.