making metal

[scyther]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but it's one I've had for quite a while, so please be patient.

Are synthetic gold and silver a threat to real gold and silver prices? I know it's possible to make gold at least; I think it's possible to artificially create any element, right? At this time I believe it costs far too much to be profitable, but costs always go down eventually... do you think artificially created precious metals will destroy the precious metals market any time soon or ever?

[Gamecock]

I've been wondering the same thing

[Engineer]

It won't happen until energy is nearly limitless and free.

[avidbrandy]

It won't happen until energy is nearly limitless and free.

^
This.


The energy costs required to synthetically make gold are vastly more expensive than the value of gold at the moment.

"Synthesis of noble metals requires either a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator. Particle accelerators use huge amounts of energy, while nuclear reactors produce energy, so only methods utilizing a nuclear reactor are of economic interest." -Good Old Wikipedia.

I don't know how high gold prices would have to be for it to be worth it, but I think it's astronomically higher than it is currently.

[rexmerdinus]

If gold prices got high enough in today's terms to make to make it worthwhile in today's terms, then all things being equal (which of course we know they're not!), I've got to believe that the conditions which drive the price up that high will have had a similar effect on energy prices, thus making it still a losing proposition.

Yeah, I know--what I just typed sounds about as clear as mud to me too!

[Kurr]

There are at least two to three ways to create perfect synthetic diamonds in a lab, doesn't seem to hurt their market and it's very limited.

There are new uses for PMs coming out everyday because there is no substitute for their electrical, chemical, photosynthsomething, and catalytic properties.

I believe if you could create a synthetic gold, silver, platinum, etc then the uses for it would still far out weigh our ability to produce, creating the demand to keep the markets up or at least similiar to a way we see now.

[avidbrandy]

If gold prices got high enough in today's terms to make to make it worthwhile in today's terms, then all things being equal (which of course we know they're not!), I've got to believe that the conditions which drive the price up that high will have had a similar effect on energy prices, thus making it still a losing proposition.

Yeah, I know--what I just typed sounds about as clear as mud to me too!

I get what you're saying. That's actually a valid point. I hadn't thought of that.

[Engineer]

There are at least two to three ways to create perfect synthetic diamonds in a lab, doesn't seem to hurt their market and it's very limited.

There are new uses for PMs coming out everyday because there is no substitute for their electrical, chemical, photosynthsomething, and catalytic properties.

I believe if you could create a synthetic gold, silver, platinum, etc then the uses for it would still far out weigh our ability to produce, creating the demand to keep the markets up or at least similiar to a way we see now.

Synthesizing diamonds is just rearranging existing carbon atoms into a different type of molecule. Synthesizing atoms is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

Speaking of carbon though, there's a chance that large scale production of carbon nanotubes could affect the silver market to an extent.

[cesariojpn]

There are at least two to three ways to create perfect synthetic diamonds in a lab, doesn't seem to hurt their market and it's very limited.

Aren't most (if not all) Synthetic Diamonds used in industrial applications rather than stuck on some woman's finger at a jewelry shop?

[scyther]

There are at least two to three ways to create perfect synthetic diamonds in a lab, doesn't seem to hurt their market and it's very limited.

Aren't most (if not all) Synthetic Diamonds used in industrial applications rather than stuck on some woman's finger at a jewelry shop?

Not sure, but there's an important difference there: synthetic diamonds are actually more "perfect" than real ones. So you can tell them apart. But artificially created gold is "real". It may be indistinguishable from natural gold. And even if you could tell it apart by the lack of impurities, you could just mix it in with natural gold.

Well, hopefully it doesn't become feasible any time soon... that could be bad.

[frugalcanuck]

It would open a new can of worms and make it possible to go back to the gold standard

[oktyabyr]

There are at least two to three ways to create perfect synthetic diamonds in a lab, doesn't seem to hurt their market and it's very limited.

Aren't most (if not all) Synthetic Diamonds used in industrial applications rather than stuck on some woman's finger at a jewelry shop?

A lot are, however they are perfectly fine to sell. Reputable shops will disclose, as they are required to disclose that they are synthetic. But you get your questionable ones out there that won't care.