December 16, 2011 By Laure-Anne Pessina
"By combining a gold alloy with boron carbide, an extremely hard ceramic that’s used in bulletproof vests, a team of EPFL researchers has succeeded in making the world’s toughest 18-karat gold (75% gold). With a Vickers hardness number of 1000, it’s harder than most tempered steels (600 Vickers) and thus almost impossible to scratch, except with a diamond. This discovery is the result of a three-year collaboration between the Mechanical Metallurgy Laboratory in EPFL’s Institute of Materials, under the leadership of Professor Andreas Mortensen, and the Swiss watchmaking company Hublot.
The process for developing this material ..."
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-swi ... -gold.html
mehoose wrote::shock: wonder how hard it is to set gems into?
Golly, disclosure on gems and now gold?
PinkDiamond wrote:Wouldn't be too hard to scratch an inconspicuous place and see if it leaves a mark or not to determine if it's this stuff, but I would imagine it will cost more and they'll advertise that that's what it is. As to how hard it will be to set gems in, we'll have to wait until there's more information on it. I'm really looking forward to seeing it though. I have a few rings it would have been nice to have it in the gold to keep it looking pristine and shiny without having to buff out scratches. On the other hand, I wonder if it can have textures, or if it has to be smooth? Will be interesting to see how it does.
m76steve wrote:Would working with material such as this, is the melting point much higher than without the cerramic added? Would simple tasks such as resizing a ring or resetting a stone require new more expensive procedures? Harder is not better in all cases, the selling of Titanium rings is not what it used to B, because of the problem of ring removal by surgeons or the fire dept, because normal cutters dont work on this metal, but I digress-this is interesting to fabricate a metal that is finnish protected-will C how this story polishes out-m76...
gingerkid wrote:m76steve wrote:Harder is not better in all cases, the selling of Titanium rings is not what it used to B, because of the problem of ring removal by surgeons or the fire dept...
Wow, didn't know this.
Kerensky wrote:Synthetics.... tsk.....
aedson wrote:Fascinating, Pink. You are such a broad, I mean, you HAVE such a broad field of interest and information. Thanks for sharing.
crazy8s wrote::lol:
PinkDiamond wrote:LOL Art! Did your tongue get in the way of your eye teeth and you couldn't see what you were saying? Very clever.