{"id":7430,"date":"2025-08-17T19:02:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T17:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/gold-guide\/oro-grezzo-oro-puro-e-oro-zecchino-quali-differenze\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:22:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T15:22:32","slug":"raw-gold-pure-gold-and-fine-gold-what-are-the-differences","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/gold-guide\/raw-gold-pure-gold-and-fine-gold-what-are-the-differences\/","title":{"rendered":"Raw gold, pure gold and fine gold: what are the differences?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"7430\" class=\"elementor elementor-7430 elementor-101\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b79cfb2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b79cfb2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4f945a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c4f945a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-85f55de e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"85f55de\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f808ef elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"3f808ef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><nav aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\" class=\"rank-math-breadcrumb\"><p><span class=\"last\">Italpreziosi<\/span><\/p><\/nav><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9deafa4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9deafa4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Raw gold, pure gold and fine gold: what are the differences?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e619d08 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e619d08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Gold is one of the most sought-after precious metals in the world, prized for its beauty, its rarity, but above all for its value. In everyday language, we sometimes use expressions such as \u201c<strong>raw gold<\/strong>\u201d, \u201c<strong>pure gold<\/strong>\u201d and \u201c<strong>fine gold<\/strong>\u201d without being fully aware of the differences between them. Let&#8217;s find out together where these definitions come from.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab4d2da e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab4d2da\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a071dbd e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"a071dbd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90aec13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"90aec13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"481\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pepita-oro-grezzo.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1833\" alt=\"A single gold nugget is in sharp focus on a dark surface, with a blurred pile of additional gold nuggets in the background against a black backdrop.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pepita-oro-grezzo.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pepita-oro-grezzo-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecd381b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ecd381b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-862a5df elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"862a5df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"sf\">Raw gold<\/span>: the yellow metal in nature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341ec6b elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341ec6b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Raw gold<\/strong> \u2013 also called <strong>native gold<\/strong> \u2013 is gold that is extracted from the earth and has not undergone any processing. It is usually found in the form of <strong>nuggets or veins<\/strong> inside mines. <strong>Raw gold nuggets<\/strong> can vary in size: from small particles to boulders weighing several dozen kilograms.<\/p><p>Raw gold is found in various parts of the world, but some of the main production areas include <strong>Australia,<\/strong> <strong>Canada<\/strong>, <strong>the United States<\/strong>, <strong>Russia<\/strong>, <strong>South Africa<\/strong> and <strong>China<\/strong>. Most raw gold is extracted from underground or open-pit mines.<\/p><p>Its appearance can vary, particularly in <strong>colour<\/strong>, which depends on the impurities present in the material. Raw gold often <strong>contains other metals<\/strong>, such as silver, copper and platinum, or other substances such as silica or quartz, which affect its colour and texture.<\/p><p>Its composition in nature is therefore not perfectly pure, but has a <strong>variable percentage of impurities<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e40905 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6e40905\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The value of raw gold<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4988c6d elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4988c6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-go\"><p>The <strong>value of raw gold<\/strong> depends on several factors, including its purity, size, shape and geographical location. In general, raw gold is <strong>less expensive than processed gold<\/strong>, as it still needs to undergo refining processes that significantly increase its value and make it suitable for processing into ingots, coins and jewellery.<\/p><p><strong>The price of raw gold<\/strong> is determined by <strong>gold prices<\/strong> on the commodities market, which in turn is influenced by economic and political factors such as inflation, global demand and the geopolitical situation. In addition, the <strong>costs of extracting<\/strong> raw gold can vary depending on the location of the mine and the level of difficulty in extraction.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a6c9e5c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a6c9e5c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to recognise raw gold?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6633ee3 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6633ee3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-go\"><p>To <strong>recognise raw gold<\/strong>, it is important to bear in mind some of the typical characteristics of this metal in its natural form.<\/p><p>First of all, raw gold has a <strong>distinctive lustre<\/strong>, which is very different from that of other metals. It is very shiny, even if it has not yet undergone any kind of processing. In addition, raw gold has a <strong>bright yellow colour that does not change<\/strong> over time.<\/p><p>Still looking at its appearance, raw gold is characterised by a <strong>typically irregular shape<\/strong> and a <strong>rough, grainy texture<\/strong>, determined by the presence of impurities and other metals.<\/p><p>From a physical point of view, however, native gold has a very <strong>high density<\/strong> compared to other metals: this means that, when placed on a scale, it weighs more than similar objects made of other metals.<\/p><p>In any case, to recognise raw gold, it is important to <strong>rely on experts in the field<\/strong>, who can analyse it and verify its composition and origin.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-68d5df0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"68d5df0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The most valuable: <span class=\"sf\">pure gold<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63c9a4a elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"63c9a4a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-go\"><p><strong>Pure gold<\/strong>, as the name suggests, is gold <strong>in its purest form<\/strong>. This type of gold consists of <strong>an alloy composed of 999.9 per thousand gold and 0.1\u2030 other substances<\/strong>. Its value corresponds to <strong>24 carats<\/strong>, the highest level. It should be noted that thousandths and carats are the two units of measurement used to assess the purity of gold.<\/p><p>One of the distinctive characteristics of pure gold is its <strong>intense and uniform yellow colour<\/strong>, without variations or shades.<\/p><p>To achieve maximum purity, gold undergoes a very careful <strong>refining process<\/strong>: it is melted and separated from other substances present in its raw composition, such as silver, copper and platinum. This results in gold that is free of impurities and <strong>999.9\u2030 pure<\/strong>.<\/p><p>One of the most appreciated characteristics of pure gold is its <strong>resistance<\/strong> to corrosion and oxidation, which makes it an ideal material for creating products that <strong>maintain their value over time<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Being particularly malleable, it is not suitable for jewellery production, for which 18-carat gold is normally used, an alloy that combines 75% pure gold with other metals that increase its hardness and resistance. This type of gold is usually better known as 750 gold, where purity is expressed using the thousandths system.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5f3441d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5f3441d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f887a6 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0f887a6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e061fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4e061fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"814\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lingotto-oro-puro-italpreziosi.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1831\" alt=\"A shiny 1-kilogram gold bar stamped with ITALpreziosi ITALY, 1 KILO FINE GOLD, and 999.9 rests against industrial metal machinery in a dimly lit setting.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lingotto-oro-puro-italpreziosi.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.italpreziosi.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lingotto-oro-puro-italpreziosi-265x300.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb402fa e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"bb402fa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88f89cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"88f89cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pure gold bars as a form of investment<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b05fc50 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b05fc50\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Pure gold<\/strong> is often used to <strong>produce bars<\/strong>, as it is a high-quality material with a constant value.<\/p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.italpreziosi.it\/en\/investment\/bars\/gold\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Gold bars<\/a><\/span> are solid bars of precious metal, which can be purchased in various sizes and weights, depending on the buyer&#8217;s preferences.<\/p><p>The use of gold bars as an investment is widespread because it represents a <strong>stable and secure form of investment<\/strong> in the long term.<\/p><p>Gold bars are also used by central banks as a store of value and as a means of payment in situations of financial crisis and geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p><p>The <strong>price of pure gold per gram<\/strong> depends on various factors, including supply and demand on the world market, the quality and quantity of gold mined, and the global economic situation. You can always stay up to date and find out the cost of pure gold by checking the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/quotations\/gold\/\">real-time gold prices<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56cfe22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"56cfe22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"sf\">Pure gold<\/span>: what does it mean?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9660ca3 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9660ca3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-go\"><p>We have all heard the expression \u2018pure gold\u2019 many times, but <strong>what does it actually mean<\/strong>?<\/p><p>In reality, <strong>there is no difference between pure gold and fine gold<\/strong>: in both cases, we are referring to the precious metal in its most valuable form, namely <strong>24-carat gold<\/strong>, with a purity of 999.9 per thousand.<\/p><p>The <strong>value of zecchino gold<\/strong> is therefore the same as that of pure gold: its <strong>price<\/strong> is determined by the market price of the precious metal.<\/p><p>When the expression \u2018oro zecchino\u2019 is used, it is often to emphasise the aesthetic characteristics of the precious metal, and in particular its <strong>intense yellow colour<\/strong>, <strong>tending towards orange<\/strong>.<\/p><p>The origin of the expression dates back to the times of the <strong>Republic of Venice<\/strong> and the institution where coins were minted, the Zecca.<\/p><p>&#8216;<strong>Zecchino<\/strong>&#8216; is the name given to the Venetian gold ducat in the mid-1500s: as a result of the preference given to freshly minted coins, the price of the <strong>new ducat increased<\/strong>, and in 1543 it was set at 7 lire and 12 soldi and christened \u201czecchino\u201d.<\/p><p>The Venetian coin was then imitated by other Italian states in the following centuries, and many other currencies took the name \u201czecchino\u201d: this term generally referred to coins of a higher quality than gold scudi and doppie.<\/p><p>This is where the expression \u2018oro zecchino\u2019 (pure gold) comes from, used to indicate extremely pure gold.<\/p><p>Nowadays, the same term is commonly used to emphasise the high quality of particular goldsmith products \u2013 such as <strong>pure gold leaf<\/strong>, also available in booklets \u2013 or household items, often made of ceramic, such as tea sets or \u201cpure gold\u201d dinner sets, or cutlery sets.<\/p><p>Regardless of how this expression is used, it is important to bear in mind that <strong>oro zecchino is no different from pure gold<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raw gold, pure gold and fine gold: what are the differences? Gold is one of the most sought-after precious metals in the world, prized for its beauty, its rarity, but above all for its value. In everyday language, we sometimes use expressions such as \u201craw gold\u201d, \u201cpure gold\u201d and \u201cfine gold\u201d without being fully aware [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7427,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7430","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7430"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7545,"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7430\/revisions\/7545"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italpreziosi.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}