In addition to being used to make jewelry, silver has many applications in photography, in the electronics industry and in minting, as well as a catalyst.
As gold is an excellent conductor of electricity, it plays a major role in electronic components but its main use is in the jewelry and astronautics sectors and in minting coins.
By virtue of their physiochemical properties, the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) – platinum, rhodium, palladium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium – are widely used by industry as synthetic catalysts and in catalytic converters, electrochemical products, hard disks, pollution-control systems and pigments for ceramics.
They are also used frequently in medicine – both in pharmaceutical compounds and equipment – and in jewelry, especially on account of platinum’s high value.