Free Shipping on orders over £1500
01453 621098
enquiries@labquipndt.co.uk
LabquipNDT logo
Product has been added to your basket.

Non-Destructive Analysis of Precious Metals with Bruker Handheld XRF

 

silversmith

 

Testing Gold, Platinum, and Silver

X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) provides a non-destructive method for analysing jewellery, cultural heritage objects, and other valuables made from gold, platinum, or silver. Portable XRF (pXRF) (other names include XRF gun, PMI gun, portable XRF, pXRF, x-ray test, scrap tester, handheld elemental analysis, metal identity gun) allows compositional and purity analysis from any location.

Bruker offers a range of handheld XRF solutions suitable for specialists, recyclers, refiners, and bulk jewellery professionals, allowing accurate assessment of precious metals without causing damage.

Rapid Gold Analysis with Portable XRF

 

pawnshop

The S1 TITAN and CTX are portable jewellery testers that provide accurate and repeatable karat hallmarking for gold. The karat is a measure of gold purity, with 24 karats representing pure gold. For example, 18 karat gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals. Bruker’s elemental analysers convert elemental percentages into karat measurements.

Gold concentration and full alloy chemistry are available in 2-5 seconds per sample, fully non-destructively. Accuracy is within a few tenths of a per cent of fire assay, making gold testing straightforward for jewellers, refiners, and other industries.

Advantages of Portable XRF for Gold Analysis:

  • Rapid measurement times ranging from 2 to 15 seconds
  • On-screen results in per cent (%), karat (Kt), or parts per million (PPM)
  • Complete alloy composition from simultaneous multi-element analysis
  • Lightweight, easy-to-use instruments requiring no highly-skilled operator
  • Fully downloadable results for record-keeping, reports, and trend analysis

Silver Analysis Made Easy

The S1 TITAN and CTX provide robust platforms for silver analysis. Pure silver (Ag), or Fine Silver (999.5), is too soft for jewellery but is used in electrical components, bearings, chemical production, and more. Jewellery typically uses Sterling Silver, containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

Applications of Portable XRF for Silver:

  • Silver jewellery manufacturers can verify purchased silver and monitor alloying processes
  • Jewellery dealers can determine silver purity on the spot before buying coins or jewellery
  • Recyclers can identify silver in electrical components, batteries, and catalysts
  • Museums can authenticate artefacts or photographs based on silver content
  • Silver content in artefacts helps determine provenance

Platinum Group Elements (PGMs) Valuation

titan precious metals bruker

When buying, selling, or recycling Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) – Platinum (Pt), Palladium (Pd), Rhodium (Rh), fast and reliable purity determination is essential. The S1 TITAN or CTX delivers laboratory-quality results in mere seconds.

  • Compact, battery-powered instruments with no hazardous waste or consumables
  • Accurate measurement of metal content, e.g., between 93% and 95% platinum
  • Excellent correlation to laboratory results without high outsourcing costs
  • Analysis of additional elements including Cerium (Ce), Lanthanum (La), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Zirconium (Zr), Barium (Ba), Osmium (Os), and Lead (Pb)
  • Optimised for precious metal alloys, including alloy grade ID and karat display

S1 TITAN Models

S1 TITAN 500 – Value-based analyser with 40kV X-ray tube and graphene window SDD. Superior performance compared to Si-PIN detectors.

S1 TITAN 800 – Premium model with 50kV X-ray tube and graphene window SDD for ultimate speed and sensitivity. SharpBeam™ geometry optimises detector/tube performance while extending battery life.

Benefits:

  • Lightweight (1.5 kg with battery)
  • SharpBeam™ configuration
  • TITAN Detector Shield™
  • Intuitive touchscreen interface
  • Gold karat and alloy grade library
  • Small spot for precision analysis
  • 50 kV tube

Available Options:

  • Integrated camera
  • Desktop stand or benchtop stand
  • Gold coating calibration

Precision and Ease of Use

The S1 TITAN can measure pure precious metals and numerous alloying elements in: industrially relevant precious metals (Pt, Re, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag etc.), dental alloys (Pt, Au, Pd, Ag, Rh, Co, Ti, Cr, Mo, Zr, In, Sn, Sb etc.), genuine jewelry (Pt, Au, Pd, Ir, Ag, Ni, Zn, Cu etc.), and adulterated jewelry (W, Pb, Cr, Fe, Zr etc.). The S1 TITAN can also be used for screening of toxic or regulated elements like Cd, Pb, Hg or Ni.

High-contrast touchscreen, optional integrated digital camera, and small spot make targeting samples simple. The patented TITAN Detector Shield™ protects the detector without compromising performance. The Precious Metal application enables compensation for small, irregular, or curved surfaces, whether handheld or in optional desktop/benchtop stands. Results are reported directly in karat, with all detected elements reported in weight %. Optional coating calibrations can measure gold or silver plating thickness. With accuracy better than 0.2 karats, the S1 TITAN rivals and sometimes surpasses  destructive fire assay methods, particularly when detecting Ir or Rh in alloys.

Learn More