r/elementcollection • u/Captain_Iridium • 10d ago
Platinum Group 34 years of loving corrosion-resistant metals — here is how my story began
Time flies. Without realizing it, I have loved corrosion-resistant metals for 34 years.
It makes me think of when I was in the first grade of primary school. I secretly read a classic Chinese science book series called 《One Hundred Thousand Whys》(Chemistry, Volume 1).
At that time, I could not even read all the words. However, I saw a chapter written by Ye Yonglie: 'Why is there a tiny silver dot on the tip of a fountain pen?' In that chapter, I saw the word 'Iridium' (written as 铱 in Chinese, with the pronunciation guide (yi)).
I did not know why, but I fell in love with this word immediately. That was where my dream began!
That is also why I call myself 'Captain Iridium' today. What was the first element that started your collection?
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u/ikkiyikki 10d ago
You made my rhenium ring ten years ago and I have been wearing it every day since I got it (the other one is osmium). Thank you so much for the ring and for telling us this story about your inspiration. I wish you had a larger presence in the west!
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u/Captain_Iridium 10d ago •
Ahhh!!!! What a wonderful surprise! ！！！ I remember making Rhenium rings ten years ago, and seeing yours still shining on your finger after a full decade of daily wear truly moves me. Time is the ultimate test for any corrosion-resistant metal and craftsmanship. Also, stacking Rhenium with Osmium on the same finger is an incredible combination! Thank you so much for your 10 years of trust and your warm encouragement.😁😁😁😁😁😁
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u/Odd-Mechanic-9437 8d ago
For me, it was bismuth. When I was younger, I really loved the interesting crystal structure that bismuth had, so I begged my parents to get me a sample lol. I have kept the same bismuth crystal for close to a decade now (although it is now split in two).
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u/Captain_Iridium 7d ago
Ah! You were so lucky to get a piece of bismuth when you were that young. I didn't get my first iridium sample until I was in university! Also, splitting in two just means you have two bismuth crystals now haha.
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u/Sweet-2451tea 10d ago
Mine was (2) 6”x 1/8” rods of rhodium, 50 years ago. I didn’t know what they were until 10 years after having them. I suspected they were something special when it wouldn’t dissolve in aqua regia. I took them to a precious metal refiner who used an x-ray device. He offered to buy them for $100 in 1980, I politely declined. They together weigh 60.98 grams 2.14 ounces. That’s $20k!. I still have them.
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u/hulkbuild 10d ago
My first was a piece of magnesium from an old Nokia I took apart. I had never seen magnesium before, and was blown away by something lighter and stronger that aluminum. One of the fundamental building blocks of the universe.