By Hayat Gazzane | Edited 30/10/2012 à 13:40 (Google Translation)

Early 2010. The world gold is shaken by the story of a German channel in which an employee of WC Heraeus, one of the largest gold refiners in Europe, the camera shows an ingot of 500 grams which is ... actually a tungsten ingot. This metal is known to have almost the same density as gold, was actually just plated gold

Since then, several other cases of tungsten ingots were publicized. In March, a trader of precious metals English was shocked to discover that his bullion a kilo, which had been provided with a certificate from the renowned Swiss foundry Metalor was filled with tungsten. The operation had been to replace the heart of the ingot five stems of this metal. These thin bars represent 30 to 40% of the total weight of the ingot. The specialist sensed the deception when he discovered that his ingot showed 998 grams instead of 1 kilo ...

The scandal of counterfeiting reappeared in September on the famous 5th Avenue in New York. A gold dealer had bought Manhattan's traditional supplier of ingots for $ 100,000. These were stamped with the seals of PAMP, one of the most famous Swiss foundries. When in doubt, it pierced his lot to realize that it was false: ingots consisted of 95% tungsten, hidden under a thin layer of gold

"There has been very few cases of this type. For me, it's the same hoax, "says Charles Sannat, chief economist for AuCoffre.com, specializing in online sales of gold coins. "It does not make sense to false on gold investment (represented by mini ingots from a few grams to 1 kilo, ed.) It is technically very complicated. You should know that tungsten melts only a high temperature above 3000 degrees. Today, there are only 16 factories around the world that have the ability to do so. It is not within the reach of everyone including forgers who amuse to poke small pellets. It does not worth it, "said the latter. "I think it is only the scope of major industrial or states, and the bars are central banks who are most affected. Today, there are an estimated 1.5 million bars of 12-13 pounds that would be wrong. "

Forged ingots were found in the vaults of Hong Kong a few years ago. Serial numbers date back to Fort Knox, where are stored the U.S. gold reserves. Since then, rumors converge to the United States. In 2009, Rob Kirby, Goldseek.com columnist and renowned for its knowledge of the sector, stated that 16,000 tons of fake tungsten bars thickets have been produced under the Clinton administration and some of them entered the international market in order to act on the demand for gold and support the dollar. The rumors were strong enough to push the Republican Ron Paul, a congressman, asking last year an audit to verify the purity of the stock stored at Fort Knox. No reply has yet been provided. "These are just rumors, there is no evidence, but the beams converge to the Americans," says Charles Sannat.
"Do not worry"

This bullion 1 kilo, filled tungsten was discovered in Britain. Photo credits:

Despite the rare cases detected, probably also settles in the minds of investors, at a time when gold is presented as a safe haven par excellence. More forums discussing warn against the risk of falling on "fake." "These stories create an atmosphere of paranoia in the minds of investors. But do not worry. The case of the ingot is filled a bit like the Loch Ness monster, at least at the individual level: nobody has ever seen! "Says the professional.

Several sites recommend to test ingots ultrasound to check for purity in terms of the characteristics of tungsten (see box), the basic tests of density and X-ray is not enough. "We know how not to get caught without cutting the ingot into two. Some devices such as General Electric Phasor allow for a few thousand euros to be sure that your bullion is real. But no reason to systematically test their bullion if they were manufactured before 1995, "says one in Aucoffre.com. "And if investors really scared, better to go for parts, especially when premiums are low, as is the case today. These are difficult to cram tungsten and false are easily detectable, "advises Charles Sannat. "And most importantly, buy officially. Otherwise, we run the risk of fraud. There is no way to protect 100% but you can take extra precautions. "

Tungsten more precious

An employee controls the quality of tungsten ore concentrate at year-dressing mill at a settlement Taiga Vostok

Of tungsten powder. Photo credit: © Yuri Maltsev / Reuters / REUTERS

Tungsten into the category of rare metals. Its production is almost entirely dominated by China (80%). This metal has one of the highest melting point (3422 ° C) of all metals and has the characteristic of having the same density as gold. It finds its opportunities in the automotive, mining and oil as well as new technologies, such as mobile phones and LCD manufacturing. Its use is almost inevitable in the industry, which pushed the British Geological Survey to place it in the forefront of strategic metals most years. Tungsten rouses envy. IMC International Metalworking, which is part of the Berkshire Hathaway empire, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, has invested $ 80 million this year in a mine in South Korea. The tight supply pushing prices higher: in three years, the price of a kilo of tungsten is increased from 18 to 45 dollars. This is far more accessible gold, whose price is now 55,818 dollars per kilo.