Silver and gold are the two most popular investment metals. Platinum and palladium are other options. Platinum is very popular. Palladium is less popular, as the price has proven volatile at various times. Platinum and palladium are both used in the auto industries and, therefore, are subject to industrial forces in the economy. Gold is more associated with investment and wealth than any other metal. Silver is not so associated with investment, though it has been used as a store of wealth for longer than gold has.

Silver and gold have been used as currency at various times throughout history. Until the mid-20th century, the US still had coins in circulation that contained a quantity of silver bullion. The early 20th century was an era where pure silver coins were still in common usage. Gold coins in the US were not common after the 1800s. They were discontinued in the 1930s when the private ownership of bullion was made illegal. This was an economic measure intended to stop the hoarding of gold by the wealthy, which was depleting the money supply and making it impossible for anyone else to engage in commerce and trade.

Gold and silver are both raw materials. Gold is more associated with arts than industry. It is one of the most popular metals for making jewelry. This is not all for looks. Jewelry made of this metal is something of an investment. Today, and even more in the past, people kept some of their wealth in jewelry as it provided them with something beautiful when times were good and, sometimes, when times got tough, it helped them get out of a bind. Keeping a quantity of either precious metal around is a very old and established practice where having something to fall back on is concerned.

Gold is performing at record levels today. The prices don’t seem to have peaked, either. Most economists are predicting more growth in this market for at least most of 2011. Silver has also performed at record rates. This metal is in very heavy industrial usage, though much of its price increase has been driven by investors. This metal is a nice alternative for those who cannot afford gold. It’s also a favorite choice for jewelry. Like gold, it’s usually alloyed to make it harder and to make sure that the piece stands up to the test of time.