Heraeus

Heraeus is one of the world's few refineries that combine an extremely long and rich history with the intimate nature of being family-owned throughout the duration of its existence.

As the largest family-owned business in Germany, Heraeus has made a name for itself globally in multiple industries, but the refinement and distribution of precious metals remains one of its core operations.

Heraeus SA is based in Germany, and is one of the world's largest precious metals refineries. The company also owns Argor-Heraeus SA, which is a Swiss based refinery. The refinery is one of the few world wide to specialize in refining rare-earth minerals, including Ruthenium, Rhodium and Iridium. The company was initially formed as a pharmaceutical company in 1660, and has been in business since that time across a wide range of market sectors. 

Heraeus precious metals products, like Argor-Heraeus, are recognised worldwide as being high quality and an excellent option for precious metals investors. Argor Heraeus produce bars in gold, silver, platinum and palladium in sizes ranging from 1 gram to 1 kilogram. 


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The History of Heraeus

Heraeus began in 1851 in Hanau, Germany. Interestingly, its origins were not associated with precious metals in any way. Instead, it was an apothecary shop owned by the father of Wilhem Carl Heraeus prior to Wilhem’s takeover of the shop in 1851.

At first, Wilhem maintained the shop’s focus as an apothecary operation; after all, it had developed a reputation worthy of serving counts and other high-profile officials under his father’s care. However, one major event changed the course of Heraeus’s path.

Soon after Wilhem took over the apothecary shop, the well-established jewelry industry in Hanau began to adapt to the proliferation of platinum in jewelry making. However, this presented a major issue for jewelers; platinum was much harder and more difficult to work with than the gold they were used to. It had a higher melting point that wasn’t achievable with their traditional smelting methods, too.

The introduction of platinum into the local jewelry industry created a lot of problems for local jewelers, and Wilhem decided to use his rich apothecary background to find a more efficient way to smelt and mold platinum.

Soon after, Wilhem succeeded in not only finding a way to smelt platinum but also finding a more efficient way that streamlined the smelting process and eliminated much of the complex process jewelers were using previously.

This was achieved by using the gas blowpipe in his apothecary shop combined with oxyhydrogen; a fuel that could produce a larger and hotter flame capable of more easily melting platinum.

In 1856, Wilhem had successfully perfected this method and was able to refine up to thirty kilos of platinum at once; a volume of production that was previously impossible.

Over the next few years, Wilhem would continue advancing the oxyhydrogen method until he eventually became a go-to source for jewelers and other industries in need of precious metals in large volumes around the globe. Within just a few years, Wilhem became capable of producing more than 1000 kilos of refined platinum with the new smelting method; a previously unheard-of volume that took the precious metal world by storm.

The global expansion of Heraeus took the company to new heights, and over the next 150 years, the Heraeus family maintained ownership of the company, continued to expand its refining processes to new parts of the globe for a variety of industries, and somehow, they even kept the business headquartered in Hanau; where it still stands and functions as the head of operations despite eight branches being launched around the globe.

Today, Hanau continues to uphold its legacy as an innovative refinery by producing bars, both cast and minted varieties, for various private and public buyers around the globe. However, you might be interested to know that, despite the rapid growth brought on by its diving into the precious metals industry, the Heraeus family has not forgotten its roots. It continues to serve the medical industry that sparked its ascent to the top of the refining world more than 150 years ago. This dedication to innovating the refining business and upholding generations-old values is seldom seen in the refining industry or elsewhere; making Heraeus not only a great opportunity for financial investment but also a company one can be proud to do business with.

Products

Heraeus offers staple precious metals products. While you won’t find a plethora of fancy bars with intricate designs, you will find simpler bars that are made to unmatched quality standards.

Take a look at their most popular products.

Heraeus Cast Bars

Cast bars are more simplistic in design. Despite not being minted, they hold their value just as well, and they are sold with an assay card and an engraved serial number.

Heraeus offers both silver and gold cast bars in a variety of weights ranging from 1 gram to several kilos. 

Each cast bar includes the bar’s purity rating (.999% pure gold for gold bars, and .999% pure fine silver for silver bars), the weight of the bar in Troy ounces, grams, or kilos respectively, the bar’s unique serial number, and of course, Heraeus’s logo with the metal type.

Perhaps the most popular products produced by Heraeus are their silver bars, which are available in 100 gram, 250 gram, 500 gram and 1 kilogram sizes. These bars are popular worldwide, but particularly with European investors looking to purchase silver bars. Each bar comes sealed in plastic to prevent tarnishing. These bars are subject to VAT in Europe, so many silver investors looking to buy silver and sell it later on will hold their silver bars in Swiss vault storage, which means that the silver is VAT-exempt. Investors may then select to sell their silver back at a later date, VAT exempt, or they may pay the VAT and have it delivered. 

Heraeus also manufacture gold, platinum and palladium bars for investors. Generally, investors looking to buy large amounts of platinum or palladium will purchase Heraeus bars, in 500 gram or 1 kilogram sizes. Many precious metals refineries will not manufacture platinum or palladium bars for retail investors in these larger sizes, as most investors prefer to purchase these metals in 1 ounce and 100 gram increments. 

Heraeus Minted Bars:

Heraeus offers minted bars for customers who prefer minted bullion. These aren’t as readily available as cast bars, and they are typically meant to stay in their packaging to retain their value. Think of a minted bar as a bar with higher manufacturing costs.

Heraeus sells gold and silver bars in a variety of sizes. Like their other bars, Heraeus fully labels each mint bar’s obverse with the standard bullion information, and both silver and gold bars come with irreplicable assay cards for verification of authenticity.

The Heraeus Kinebar

Because it owns Argor-Heraeus, Heraues also manufacture a gold kinebar. A kinebar is a gold bar that has a hologram on it that has been inscribed by a laser. This hologram is virtually impossible to replicate, thereby validating the bar's authenticity. 

Because the technology is owned by Argor-Heraeus, these bars feature the Argor-Heraeus hallmark on them, which means that they have been manufactured by Argor-Heraeus for Heraeus. 

Kinebars are available in sizes ranging from 1 gram to 1 ounce. All Heraeus Kinebars come sealed in their own certicard, and come with their own unique serial number.

Kinebars are similar to the minted bars we highlighted above. There are no traditional differences that need to be gone over, and the bars can be purchased in the same weights. However, there is one difference; each bar has a laser-etched engraving across its reverse. This adds an aesthetic difference to the bar, but it’s not just for looks. The Kinegram, or the holographic etching that gives Kinebars their name, functions as an anti-counterfeit measure. In short, it ensures that you're receiving a genuine Heraeus bar, and the added protection can also instill investor confidence.

Heraeus bars are well recognised in Europe, and are accepted by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and the Comex. 

How to Buy Heraeus Bullion Bars

Suisse Gold makes purchasing and storing Heraeus bullion bars easier than ever. We accept 21 international currencies and eight cryptocurrencies to ensure clients worldwide can seamlessly invest in bullion with us. We offer worldwide delivery services for those who want to take posession of their bullion. However, our secure Swiss vaults provide unmatched safety and security. Our European clients also enjoy the added benefit of VAT-free transactions on silver, platinum, and palladium across every bullion brand we distribute. Bullion storage is free of charge for one year from the date of purchase.


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