Palladium is one of the rarest metals on earth and even more scarce than platinum – 15 times more rare to be precise. If all the platinum in the world fits in your house, then every ounce of palladium can easily squeeze inside your living room.
Gold has many uses and is thought to be the standard for precious metals, trading at $1,654 per ounce. Most investors overlook Palladium, which is even more valuable at $1,954 per ounce, respectively.
Palladium is one of the most abundant platinum metals and occurs in Earth's crust at an abundance of 0.015 part per million.
Palladium is the most expensive of the four major precious metals – gold, silver and platinum being the others. It is rarer than platinum, and is used in larger quantities for catalytic converters.
Platinum and palladium are 30 times rarer than gold.
Rhodium, iridium and ruthenium are perhaps the rarest, roughly 1/5 as common as platinum. However, the sale price of rhodium is typically a bit less than that of platinum, and the rest are even less expensive because they are simply less useful.
1. Rhodium. Rhodium (Rh) is non-radioactive and is the most expensive metal in the world. It is a rare member of the platinum group with a global annual demand of 32 tonnes.
Palladium Is More Valuable than Gold & Silver
It also tops platinum when it comes to current market value. On average, prices for palladium rings today are around $2,000, according to Brides.com.
Palladium is in high demand from various industries but there is a low supply. This makes the precious metal scarce, which is an attractive feature for an investment. There are many applications for palladium, making it one of the most sought after precious metals on the market.
Palladium's most incredible ability is that it can absorb up to 900 times its volume of hydrogen, according to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Because of this ability, palladium is used to store and filter hydrogen.
Two precious metals that are actually more scarce than gold and silver are platinum and palladium. While platinum is currently more well-known, both platinum and palladium are very similar. The differences between the two mainly come down to density and price.
All palladium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic and as carcinogenic. Palladium chloride is toxic, harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Corrosion resistant: Palladium is about as resistant to corrosion as gold, with a natural resistance against oxidation.
Palladium is also appreciated for its monetary benefits as a store of wealth and its investment potential. In the years ahead investments in palladium may produce some of the most lucrative opportunities in the precious metals complex.
Palladium prices have dropped by a third since soaring to all-time highs six months ago, as automakers switch to platinum and other metals that do a similar job of limiting the toxic emissions of petroleum engines, a trend that is seen continuing in 2022.
Palladium has been found uncombined in nature, in Brazil, but most is found in sulfide minerals such as braggite. It is extracted commercially as a by-product of nickel refining. It is also extracted as a by-product of copper and zinc refining.
Palladium Rarity
Palladium is one of the rarest metals on earth and even more scarce than platinum – 15 times more rare to be precise. If all the platinum in the world fits in your house, then every ounce of palladium can easily squeeze inside your living room.
In 2021, approximately 200 metric tons of palladium was produced worldwide. Russia had been the leading global producer of palladium in recent years, but ranked second in 2021 next to South Africa. In 2021, South African palladium production was 80 metric tons, while Russian production amounted to 74 metric tons.
Unlike white gold, palladium's naturally bright 'white' colour will not fade over time or need re-plating. Its colour will last forever. Palladium has the look and durability of platinum.
They identified Neodymium (Nd), Europium (Eu), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy) and Yttrium (Y) as critical rare earths (CREE) for both the short and long term.
Rhodium Is Earth's Rarest and Most Expensive Precious Metal.
In terms of abundance in the Earth's crust, the rarest metals are: gold, platinum, osmium, iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, tellurium and rhenium. These metals are different from Rare Earth Elements, which aren't actually rare in terms of abundance, but are rarely found in concentrated ore deposits.