Bullion in any physical form demands a margin over spot price so, when investing in gold or silver it is often important to purchase precious metal at the least possible margin over spot price and give consideration to any additional costs. With this in mind, generally one would purchase what is called a London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) "London Good Delivery Bar”, or a bar of similar accredited industry standard. These LBMA bars are either a 400 troy ounce gold bar with a minimum purity of 995 (that is 995 parts in 1,000 are pure gold), or a 1,000 troy ounce silver bar, with a purity of 999. In addition to these LBMA bars, the one kilo gold bar of 999.9 purity should be considered as it is the most traded gold bar in the world.

Note: although smaller bars, bullion coins and other forms of bullion also serve as investment, the margins over spot price are gererally higher due to additional labour and tooling costs.

The refinery production of a bar of gold or silver is done to exacting specifications, and the cost is calculated and quoted as a margin over spot price. For the three bars referred here, the margins are extremely low. These bars can be purchased from Dan El at cost, which allows our clients to enter the bullion market on the same footing as the big players in the industry. As these bars are big, heavy and extremely valuable, investors often prefer to have their bars held in secure vaulting facilities in close proximity to a refinery or bullion market and obtain a warehouse receipt or certificate as proof of their purchase. In due course investors then trade these bars off when the market favors their position. Usually a small discount of the spot price is the negotiated fee when a refinery or third party buys the investors bar, however in times of great demand for these metals, a premium over spot is not unusual. Because investors rarely takes possession of these bars, they need not be concerned with the additional expenses including high shipping costs, multiple handling fees and transit insurance, therefore affording the investor opportunity to maximize profit.

Dan El provides this Bullion Bar acquisition service to its clients, and only acquires gold and silver bars for its clients that are manufactured to LBMA standards. Dan El receives no profit from the sale of this bar to a client, but receives its reward from the storage of bars. The Bullion Bar private storage facilities used by Dan El are among the most prestigious and secure in the world. As Dan El enjoys very competitive storage rates with these facilities the client fee for bar storage is only .009 of metal stored/per annum, which is paid in bullion from the vaulted bars. Additionally Dan El clients pay a “transport to vault” fee of 15 cents/ounce which is calculated at the time of purchase. Once a client has purchased a bar from Dan El, a black light sensitive counterfeit proof certificate is then dispatched to the client.

Clearly, if one is buying gold or silver as an investment, then the Dan El Bullion Bar acquisition system offers the preferred form of bullion to hold, however to many, the cost of purchasing a full bar of gold or silver may be out of reach. This is where the Dan El Part-Bar program is superb.

Both the Dan El Bullion Bar and Part-Bar acquisition programs are second to none, and possibly the market leader on low fee private bullion acquisition and secure storage.

There is much talk today about gold and silver being profitable investments and to the savvy investor this is clearly a reality, however if investment is the only purpose one has for gold and silver, then many of their greatest attributes and values have been overlooked.

In addition to the investment opportunity that exists with gold and silver, bullion in other forms, particularly in smaller weights, can have the added benefit of serving as “insurance”. This is particularly beneficial in times of economic upheaval.

Artisan Bullion items such as privately minted coins, small bars and jewelry are the time tested logical "policy" to hold. This is due to the ease of tradability of this form of bullion. We suggest that such holdings should be stored securely by the owner in a safe and private "under the bed or apple tree" type facility, where the bullion can be accessed if needed. History has shown time and time again that when there is major (and in many cases not too major) economic or social turmoil, gold and silver increase dramatically in their purchasing power. 

Bullion coins, small bars and jewelry by their very nature of creation carry a greater premium above spot price than say the LBMA 400 ounce investment gold bar. This is because in effect gold coins start their life as a 400 ounce bullion bar…the bar is rolled into a flat sheet… artwork and design is created and machined into a die… and then 800 half ounce coins can be punched from that sheet. Now instead of one pouring fee as in the case of a 400 ounce bar, we have to add the collective costs of one pouring fee, fabrication costs to manufacture the sheet of gold, 800 striking fees, artwork and design, die manufacture, additional handling and machining costs and a profit for the party taking the risk in making all this happen. If the coins struck were to be one-tenth of an ounce then there would be 4,000 strike fees for this 1 bar of 400 ounces.

It is due to added manufacturing cost that investment coins and jewelry often enter the market at a higher margin over spot per ounce than a large bar, but they also tend to maintain that margin in their continuous market tradability. In a word, it is the convenience provided by smaller items like coins and jewelry, that make them such a worthwhile and functional “insurance” to hold, particularly as precious metals are universal in appeal and acceptance. Even taking into account the larger premium over spot of Artisan Bullion compared to large investment bars, many consider that such premiums will in time prove to be inconsequential and "par for the course" in the acquiring of tradable privately issued bullion coins and bullion jewelry.

For those who have some knowledge of history, personal holdings of Artisan Bullion precious metals is clearly a prudent policy to adopt. Even so, considering the added benefit of Artisan Bullion as "insurance", it should be remembered that the return on bullion in all forms as measured by their purchasing power in times of economic upheaval, may well outstrip many traditionally accepted investments. The purchasing power of gold from 1929 to 1935 increased by 129% which is not a bad return for any investment, and certainly one that would outstrip the premium over spot for Dan El Artisan Bullion.

It is universally accepted that any strategic "insurance" asset should be valued and measured by its ability to offer the greatest protection or return when it’s needed the most. This objective is achieved in no other privately held asset better than in Gold and Silver. In this role, they stand supreme.

Simple truths are enduring, and the adorning qualities and beauty of gold and silver have purposed its longevity throughout millennia by arousing the artistic creativeness of men and women to fashion precious metal jewelry not only for personal adornment, but as a storehouse of wealth, symbols of remembrance, and function.

Archeological discoveries confirm an era as far back as 3,000 BCE, where gold was fashioned into jewelry. These adornments of beauty took the form of necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets, armlets, earrings, nose rings, head ornaments, pectoral ornaments, collars and diadems, all fashioned from gold and silver. Interestingly, gold in ancient Egypt was the preferred metal for making jewelry, as it was rare, did not tarnish and could be worked easily due to its malleability. Many such ancient inspirations have been unearthed and can be enjoyed today in fine museums such as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, or the Louvre in Paris.

Although the ancient reasoning behind the use of gold and silver as jewelry is timeless, remnants of this traditional wisdom are very much alive in 21st century communities, through the usage of wedding rings, chains, bracelets, bridal dowry, family heirlooms, discerning gifts of reward, respect and affection, religious offerings, adornments, quality time pieces, and in the Crown Jewels of Royal Ceremonies in the 46 jurisdictions ruled by Monarchs.

The jewelry market in our modern world is massive, but not all gold and silver jewelry is the same. Gold jewelry is usually measured in carats of purity. 24 carat (karat) is considered pure gold; that is 995 parts (or better) in 1,000 are gold. Gold is then “diluted” to lesser purity by adding common metals which is expressed by its carat designation. For example, 18 carat gold is 18/24ths “pure”, and can also be referred to as 750, which means 750 parts in 1,000 are gold. 9carat gold then, is 9/24ths pure, as only 375 parts in a 1,000 are gold. The balance in all gold less than 24carat, is made up of “non gold” metals such as copper, silver, nickel, zinc, or palladium. By blending different combinations of these “non gold” metals, a variety of “gold colors” can be achieved, but then the “gold” is not gold, but an alloy. Silver is considered pure or “fine” when the silver content is 999 parts in 1,000, however the common form of silver today is 925, which is an alloy of silver and copper.

Dan El only craft and sell 24 carat gold and fine silver in their jewelry offerings. This make us one of the extremely rare manufacturers of such jewelry in the world. Be it mens chains, or ladies necklaces, chains or bracelets, our designs are unique, timeless and inspiring. The true pleasure of beauty and function is often found in the simplicity of its design and we at Dan El are always looking to further our range of prestigious and timeless creations.

As modern as tomorrow’s sunrise, Dan El Artisan Bullion jewelry, remains equally representative of glory and beauty in religious ceremonies, symbolic of delegated authority in state administration, a timely reminder of family bonds, substantive as contractual security, functional as international currency, recognized as a measure of true wealth, and well able to provide a sound medium to transfer that wealth to the next generation.

As difficult as it might be for some to purchase bullion in any form, somehow being able to enjoy the tactile pleasure of unique precious metal adornments, is an experience few will encounter, but one worth striving for.

Dan El jewelry... Inspired by the past, prepared for the future, yet enjoyed today!

Bullion is possibly the simplest, easiest, fastest and safest means to transfer wealth. This is due to the ease and reliability that it stores wealth. One can tailor their private bullion holdings to suit their own circumstances, and in most cases, precious metals held for Investment (Bullion Bar & Part-Bar), Insurance (Artisan Bullion), and for its Beauty (Jewelry) all find their way to a balanced wealth portfolio.

Those who see wisdom in private bullion holdings, may like to consider diversifying those holdings; that is diversify what bullion forms they hold (as above), diversify how they hold them, (eg.Trust, Foundation, Partnership, etc) and diversify where they hold them (holding bullion outside the country they live in), as this provides additional and important aspects to protecting assets. It becomes clear then just how simply Private Bullion Holdings can serve as a means of transferring wealth from one generation to the next, or one jurisdiction to another, simply due to its indisputable and ageless ability to store wealth. It is with such realisations that one might give thought to the future and Estate Planning.