Paper

Coloured papers. I have lots.
It cheers me and makes me smile.

all my new papers

These have such a beautiful sheen – they’re ‘metallic’ and are 120gsm and are perfect for weaving due to their thickness and coating; this paper seems stronger to me than other papers I’ve used.

taken last night, before adding to my collection today

All of these are of the same ‘range’ – and I’ve bought every colour in the range that PaperPoint in South Melbourne had (with the exception of whites – I know, I don’t know what happened there; will need to revisit).

making making making

Metal price update

It’s been just under three months since my last metal price update post.
A little check on the markets …

As at 27th February 2012:

1. Gold price in US$ for last 12 months

27th February 2012; gold in US$; click on image for original source

2. Gold price in A$ for last 12 months

27th February 2012; gold in A$; click on image for original source

The big dip at the end of December (which wasn’t in my last update) was due to the crisis in the Euro zone. Similary, the latest kick up was on the back of the Greek bail-out deal, but the price has slipped a little in the last few days.

3. Silver price in US$ for last 12 months

27th February 2012; silver price in US$; 1 year graph; click on image for original source

Looks like the best time to buy silver was in late December … and the price is increasing just in time for the start of the university year. Bummer.

4. (a new graph) Copper price per ounce on London Metal Exchange, for last 12 months

27th February 2012; copper price on London Market Exchange; click on image for original source

Big pink

In large gemstone news:

“The biggest pink diamond ever found by mining giant Rio Tinto is expected to fetch at least $10 million when put up for sale.

The 12.76 carat gem, to be known as the Argyle Pink Jubilee, was found at Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia.“

media image; click on image for original source

Did you know?

Did you know that there is gold in human body?

“The human body is composed of many elements, including Gold in trace amounts. According the technical treatise, The Elements Third Edition, written by John Emsley and published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1998, the average person’s body weighing 70 kilograms would contain a total mass of 0.2 milligrams of gold.” [source]

At approximately A$52 per gram [source, below], that’s a smidge over 1 cent worth.

A$ per gram; as at 11Feb2012; click on image for original (updated) source

So … what about silver, copper, other metals …

Silver: “The human body contains approximately .001% silver, and is normally obtained, along with all the other minerals required by the body, through the foods we consume.“; and that it has been proposed “that silver deficiency is responsible for the improper functioning of the immune system” [source]. Interesting.

Copper: “Copper is an essential element, an adult human need to ingest around 1.2 milligrammes of copper a day to help enzymes produce energy in cells. Excess copper is toxic …” [source]
On that note: “Good sources of dietary copper are liver and other organ meats, oysters, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, and whole grains. Some copper is also present in potatoes, raisins, mushrooms, and chickpeas and other legumes. Drinking water supplied in copper pipes can contribute to copper intake.” [source]

It’s been a long time since I looked at the elemental table, but I’ve noticed that Copper (Cu), Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au) are all in the same column on the table. And Platinum (Pl) and Paladium (Pd) are just next to them. That’s interesting yes?

click on image for original source

Or am I just a nerd…

Metal price update

It’s been almost three months since my last metal price update post.
A little check on the markets …

As at 15th December 2011:

1. Gold price in US$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; gold in US$; click on image for original source

2. Gold price in A$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; gold in A$; click on image for original source

While it looked to have temporarily recovered from the tumble in September,  gold now looks to be back around the low levels we saw in September. Probably due to a mixture of the doubts about the European economic condition and (likely less of a consideration) the impact our own economy on the exchange rate.

What could gold prices do next year? Hard to say – and I’m absolutely not a commodities expert! However during times of extreme economic uncertainty historically gold has been a stable haven – that is, the demand for gold as a reliable place to put money increases (compared to shares or bonds), so the price tends to also increase.

15th December 2011; 5 year gold price in A$; click on image for original source

3. Silver price in US$ for last 12 months

15th December 2011; silver price in US$; 1 year graph; click on image for original source

Silver doesn’t look to have recovered anywhere near the same extent as the gold price. So interesting that it is still at levels seen near the start of the year.

My, you’re huge too

This time (see last time I uttered such a title) a yellow pear-cut diamond.

The newstells me: the “Rare gem is 110.3 carats and was unearthed in South Africa last year“.

media image; click on image to go to original source

It is being auctioned through Sotheby’s in Geneva soon, and has an estimate of A$12 – $15m.

Good lordy! Have a look through the catalogue for the entire auction – there are some stunning, and yes very ugly, pieces of jewellery.