What do we fear the most in our lives when it comes to spending habits? Just sit back and give it a thought. 

The answer is to buy something that will stop benefiting in the long run or make a wrong buying decision big-time. Collecting precious metals like gold tops the chart of significant purchases. We hear everywhere from people around us or on the internet to be secure by buying gold. Be it jewellery, coins, or bars, the fear of decay always stays in our minds. Investing in gold is not child’s play and might require much thinking before some heavy purchase. No harm in doing our research. Let us explore whether gold rusts or retains its intrinsic value, as metals typically rust over time.

Rust in Gold, Reality or Fiction?

Our research confirms that all the stories about the nobility of gold hold as it is a metal that doesn’t mix itself with oxygen or other environmental effects. Other metals usually have some part of the Iron component, which combines with the air oxygen to produce ‘Rust’ in a metal. But gold has no iron in it. Its aloof nature doesn’t allow any chemical reaction with other stuff like air or water. So, we can rest assured because gold doesn’t rust, even with time. No wonder the ancient civilizations held their gold tightly tucked into their chests! They knew even if they didn’t survive, their light-yellow-treasure will to benefit their coming generations with its aesthetic and monetary value.

But Gold does tarnish.

Tarnishing in Gold

We need to see the difference between rust and tarnish regarding gold. Tarnishing is where the base metals in an almost pure gold item mix with the atmosphere to give a sheen of darkened metal. To our eyes, a gold item that’s tarnished will appear as a discoloured one. The reason for such tarnish is that purest gold is too soft and malleable. To make items from such gold, mostly jewellery, other metals get added to the whole product to give a solid shape. 

These metals develop a tarnish, causing our gold items to look dull if ample care is not taken. But it doesn’t mean it is fake. The lesser the gold purity in Karats, the more the chance it gets tarnished with time. Still, we can be sure that gold will not rust, making it an ideal investment for the foreseeable future. Let’s see gold in various shapes in the context of rust or tarnish.

Rust in Gold Jewellery

Gold jewellery never rusts, but it can still get tarnished. We always see beautiful colours in any gold jewellery. Gold is mixed with other metals to make solid jewellery items. Gold alone is quite soft and unsuitable for making ornamental pieces. For example, White gold is made up of a great combination of pure gold and platinum. 

Other metals dull the gold jewellery when added to gold, as these metallic components mix with the environment or our perspiration. It results in a tarnished effect. The gold is still there pure; just other metals affect the whole item.

Clean-up

• We can dip our tarnished gold jewellery in soap water and rinse it properly.
• Go for an expert jeweller to clean gold jewellery.

Rust in Gold Coins

Gold coins are pure gold, but small portions of other metals are still added to such coins. We start seeing rust-like spots on these coins. The key is not to clean them for fear of damaging their collectability value. Gold coins far exceed their value and importance as collector items compared to their original monetary compensation.

Clean-up

• Prevention of tarnishing or rust is the best option. We can keep our collection-worthy gold bullion in air-tight compartments or bags.
• Contact a professional coin cleaner if needed.

Rust in Gold Bars

Gold bars are usually made of the purest gold, with more than 99% pure gold content. No rust or tarnish gets near these gold bars. We only need to buy from a trusted source.

With simple guidelines, let us examine how to avoid Rust or Tarnish in our gold.

How to Avoid Gold from Rusting or Tarnishing?

If we invest our time and energy in some basic tricks and techniques, it can prevent the rusting or tarnishing of our gold easily for an extended period.

1. Keep the gold jewellery dry by investing in an air-tight jewellery box. Further, place a Silica gel packet inside to absorb extra moisture.

1. Avoid applying chemical substances like casual cleaners, body sprays, or perfumes to gold jewellery as they tarnish it.

1. Take off all the gold jewellery or coins from yourself if you are going for a shower or using soap. The constant influence of water and soap speeds up the rusting or tarnishing process. In other words, we should keep our gold stuff dry as much as possible. 

Parting Thoughts 

Answering the question, does gold rust? No, it doesn’t rust in its purest form, like 24k jewellery. No wonder it gets passed down as family heirlooms since the beginning. But combined with other base metals, a gold piece becomes susceptible to minor rust or tarnish.