RocksdayGold vs Native Platinum
How to tell them apart
A native metal that never tarnishes. In nature it occurs as nuggets, flakes in stream gravel and wires in quartz veins.
Photo: Alchemist-hp (talk) www.pse-mendelejew.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Platinum as grains and rare nuggets in stream gravels, usually alloyed with iron.
Photo: Periodictableru, CC BY 3.0
Quick tests
- Hardness: Native Platinum is clearly harder: Mohs 4–4.5 versus 2.5–3.
- Streak (rub on unglazed porcelain): Gold leaves a golden yellow streak; Native Platinum leaves steel gray.
Key differences
- Gold is yellow.
Side by side
| Property | Gold | Native Platinum |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Mineral | Mineral |
| Mohs hardness | 2.5–3 | 4–4.5 |
| Luster | Metallic | Metallic |
| Streak | Golden yellow | Steel gray |
| Colors | Gold | Silver, Gray |
| Crystal system | Cubic | Cubic |
| Specific gravity | 15.5–19.3 | 14–19 |
| Formula | Au | Pt |
| Found in | Witwatersrand, South Africa; Carlin Trend, Nevada | Ural Mountains, Russia; Chocó, Colombia |
Properties that are the same for both are grayed out.
How to identify gold
- Extremely heavy — sinks instantly in a gold pan.
- Bends and flattens instead of breaking.
- Golden streak.
- Stays bright yellow in shade and sun alike.
Crystal system: Cubic
Full Gold guide →How to identify native platinum
- Steel-gray grains that never tarnish.
- Extremely heavy.
- Malleable, sometimes weakly magnetic (iron content).
Crystal system: Cubic
Full Native Platinum guide →More comparisons
Could you tell them apart from a blurry close-up?
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