Product Knowledge for Serious Buyers

Gold Products, Purity & Independent Assay

Understand what is being offered before discussing price. Product form, actual weight, representative sampling, purity, provenance and documentation all affect whether a physical-gold opportunity is suitable for a buyer.

Explore Products Understand Assay

WeightConfirm units and net mass

PurityMeasure actual gold content

AssayUse suitable independent testing

DocumentsMatch records to material

Physical Gold Forms

Products Require Different Verification Methods

A product name is not a purity guarantee. Each offer must state the form, weight, claimed purity, available evidence and proposed testing process.

Refined Gold Bars

Bars may suit investors, traders, jewellers or refiners depending on their maker, dimensions, markings, weight, fineness and supporting assay information. “24K” or a stamp alone does not prove content.

Gold Nuggets

Natural or minimally processed material can vary within a batch and may contain quartz, silver, copper or other material. Buyers should agree representative sampling and intended use before valuation.

Gold Doré

Doré is a semi-refined alloy rather than automatically investment-grade bullion. Its payable gold content should be established through agreed sampling, assay and refinery or commercial settlement terms.

Gold Dust or Concentrate

Fine material may be difficult to sample representatively and can include moisture or non-gold material. Product description, sampling, drying where relevant, weighing and laboratory analysis need particular care.

Purity Fundamentals

Karat, Fineness & Actual Gold Content

Karat expresses gold as parts of 24, while fineness expresses gold as parts per thousand. The figures below are mathematical reference points, not claims about any available Aureus Africa product.

24K

Approximately 999/1000 when marketed as high-purity fine gold
High-purity refined material should still be verified; “24K” is sometimes used loosely in marketing.

22K

Approximately 916.7/1000
Commonly associated with high-gold alloys for jewellery; the balance may include silver, copper or other metals.

18K

750/1000
Contains 75% gold by mass when correctly represented, with alloying metals providing colour or durability.

Doré / Raw Material

No fixed karat or fineness
Composition varies. Value should follow representative sampling, laboratory results and agreed payable-content terms.

Weight × Purity

Calculate Fine Gold, Not Appearance

The contained fine-gold estimate is calculated by multiplying verified net weight by verified purity. Commercial value may then reflect the agreed market reference, payable percentage and legitimate transaction costs.

Illustrative calculation only

A verified 1,000 g sample at 750 fineness contains an estimated 750 g of fine gold: 1,000 × 0.750 = 750 g. This example does not represent an offer, inventory or price.

Record whether weight is stated in grams, kilograms, troy ounces or another unit.

Consider moisture, packaging, stones, base metals or other non-payable material where relevant.

Do not apply a headline spot price directly to gross unverified material.

Assay Methods

Choose Testing That Fits the Decision

Methods differ in precision, destructiveness, sample size and suitability. A qualified independent laboratory or refinery should advise on the appropriate procedure for significant transactions.

Visual & Dimensional Checks

Useful for comparing markings, dimensions and obvious inconsistencies, but appearance cannot establish internal composition or purity.

Density / Specific Gravity

Can provide an indication for suitable solid pieces, but shape, voids, alloy composition and plating can limit reliability.

Electronic Testing

May support screening when used correctly, but instrument limitations, calibration and surface conditions must be understood.

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)

Provides rapid elemental analysis, commonly of the tested surface. Sampling and surface preparation matter because the interior may differ.

Fire Assay

A widely used destructive laboratory method for determining precious-metal content from a representative sample. Sampling quality remains critical.

Refinery Settlement Assay

For doré or bulk material, parties may agree sampling and analysis procedures, umpire arrangements and final settlement based on refinery results.

Sampling Integrity

An Assay Is Only as Good as Its Sample

A laboratory result describes the sample tested. Buyers need confidence that the sample is representative of the lot and remains identifiable through the process.

Agree who selects, prepares, seals, transports and witnesses the sample.

Use a method suitable for bars, nuggets, doré, dust, concentrate or heterogeneous material.

Record lot identity, gross and net weights, seal numbers and chain of custody.

Consider split samples for buyer, seller and an independent umpire laboratory.

Define how differing results, tolerances and final settlement will be handled.

Buyer Fit

Match the Product to Your Purpose

The right product depends on the buyer’s objectives, technical capability, compliance requirements, preferred verification process and destination market.

Investors

Usually prioritize recognized specifications, reliable purity, manageable units, secure custody and resale considerations.

Jewellers

May prioritize alloy or fine-gold input, colour, consistency, fabrication requirements and repeatable production specifications.

Refiners

May evaluate doré, nuggets, scrap or concentrate through sampling, recovery, payable content, treatment charges and settlement terms.

Wholesale & Institutional Buyers

Typically require stronger counterparty, compliance, assay, documentation, contract, logistics and repeat-supply controls.

Product Documentation

Records Should Match the Specific Material

The documents required depend on the transaction. A professional-looking certificate should be verified with its issuer and matched to the actual lot, bar or shipment.

Product Specification

Form, count, dimensions where relevant, gross and net weight, claimed purity, lot identifiers and packaging.

Assay Information

Laboratory or refinery identity, test method, sample identity, result, date and a way to verify authenticity where available.

Commercial Records

Seller and buyer identities, quotation or contract, pricing basis, invoice, responsibilities and agreed payment conditions.

Source & Ownership

Available records supporting declared origin, lawful ownership, authority to sell and responsible-sourcing review.

Trade Documentation

Legally required export, import, customs, transport or tax documents for the actual parties, product and route.

Chain of Custody

Records connecting the verified material to storage, packaging, transport, receipt and any subsequent refinery process.

Product FAQ

Common Buyer Questions

Does a 24K stamp prove that a bar is pure gold?

No. Markings are information supplied by a maker or seller. Significant purchases still require appropriate verification of identity, weight and purity.

Is XRF enough for every transaction?

No single method is automatically sufficient. XRF can be useful, but surface composition, preparation, calibration, sampling and the commercial decision must be considered.

Are gold nuggets always purer than doré?

No. Both can vary. Product form or appearance does not determine purity; representative testing is required.

Can gold dust be priced from photographs?

No. Photographs cannot establish weight, moisture, contamination, homogeneity or gold content. Sampling and laboratory analysis are needed.

Does Aureus Africa guarantee a listed product specification?

No specification is guaranteed by this educational page. A transaction must identify the particular available material and its verification process.

What should I include in a product enquiry?

State the desired form, quantity, purity, destination, intended use, acceptable assay process and any refinery or documentation requirements.

Product Enquiries

Tell Us the Specification You Require

Include the product form, quantity, desired purity, destination, intended use and verification expectations so the enquiry can be assessed accurately.

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