Tea TWG
Photo source: napitkistore.ru
Famous Singaporean luxury tea brand. The brand has the world's largest collection of tea varieties - more than a thousand types from almost 40 countries.
Price:
15-40 sgd per 100 grams of tea or 9-25 €, 11-30 $, 700-1870 ₽.
The brand is also notable for its tea with 24-karat gold. 100 grams of this tea cost 900 sgd - 582 €, 680 $, 42,989 ₽.
The history of the purple alloy
A modest scientist, Lo Peng Cham, had a hand in obtaining the formula (or rather, he derived it) in the premises of an ordinary chemical laboratory at the Singapore Institute of Technology. The chemist devoted twenty-five years to this activity. Purple gold has several beautiful names. The scientist pondered and cherished the idea of breeding and implementing, creating an alloy with the name - purple, or so-called amethyst gold.
This story began at the end of the twentieth century, in the seventies. When an ordinary American teacher teaching at the University of Wisconsin made a bet: whether a Singaporean professor could create purple gold. The main condition of the dispute was to cast the precious metal and at the same time make it an order of magnitude stronger, since the admixture contains aluminum, which makes the alloy very brittle and fragile.
Obtaining a precious metal called violet gold was very labor-intensive.
Chemist Lo Peng Cham did a tremendous amount of work, studying an incredibly large amount of scientific material. In addition, the scientist’s task was to modernize the metal smelting process itself.
The working day of the Singaporean scientist was twenty hours. The research work was extremely exhausting, but the knowledge and effort put in gave amazing results. On the eve of the new century, in the year 99, the world saw a jewel containing nineteen carats of gold.
Almost in parallel with Lo Peng Cham, research and the search for the ideal formula for purple metal were carried out by American scientists. So Robin Williams Wood, whose main focus was physics, studied the smelting of gold, which has a purple color. He argued that historically, purple gold got its start in the land of the pyramids. Wood, being a wizard in physics, while researching the smelting of precious metals, still achieved amazing results. He derived the ideal proportions of the percentage of the alloy. Namely – 75% to 25%. Where the first number is pure gold, the second is aluminum and palladium.
Today, information about the creation of an alloy with a purple color is kept secret by world-class jewelers. Therefore, the recipe for obtaining gold with a purple color is known to only a few.
Orchid
Photo source: risis.com
One of the symbols of Singapore is the orchid. As a gift, you can bring jewelry made from real orchids and flower leaves, plated with the above-mentioned 24-karat gold.
An excellent gift would be a florarium with a live orchid, which will delight its owner for many years. You can purchase it in the gift shop of the Botanical Garden and in the Gardens by the Bay natural park.
Cost ranges from 50-250 sgd. This is 32-162 €, 38-189 $, 2390 - 1940 rubles.
Other ways to get purple gold
Scientists at the Institute of Physics of Non-Ferrous Metals of the Russian Academy of Sciences are developing technology for producing gold of any color using nanotechnology. A matrix is formed from gold used as a base, and the materials included in the alloy are crushed into nanoparticles. This simplifies the combination of these metals into one alloy, since synthesis, rather than remelting, is used. In South Africa, they also recently developed a technology for changing the color of gold - this happens with the help of a laser. However, none of these technologies are used in the jewelry industry due to cost.
It turns out that the purple color is not only produced by an alloy with aluminum - such a mixture has a purple tint. Violet is obtained using another element, potassium, as a ligature. Depending on the proportion, you can get other colors, for example, green. The lowest percentage of aluminum in the alloy is 12%; with a lower concentration, the purple color will not work. Potassium needs more than 20%, otherwise the gold will be olive.
In addition to Singapore purple gold, there is also a variant from Turkey. The formula is different, and products made from this metal lack shine and color saturation, but they are much cheaper.
Like any jewelry, purple gold requires care. But since the alloy is not very dense and wear-resistant, it should be handled carefully during operation. The manufacturer advises the following:
- avoid contact of metal with chemicals;
- minimize any impact;
- do not shower wearing jewelry;
- Clean with any damp cotton cloth, then wipe dry.
Purple gold jewelry is designed for special occasions. High-quality - it is expensive and not everyone can afford it. Recently, many movie stars have become owners of such an accessory. Purple gold is more popular and this is understandable - the products look elegant and original, but they will not be available to most for a long time. At least as long as only one company owns the secret of producing this metal.
Prima taste
Photo source: orientalmerchant.eu
In Singapore, you can find ready-made, vacuum-packed meals that just need to be heated. Such a gift is an excellent opportunity to bring a signature Singaporean dish to your friends to try: Laksa, Chicken rice, Chili crab and others. They can be purchased at FairPrice, Giant or Cold Storage grocery supermarkets.
Price 5 sgd for 1 sachet - 3 €, 5 $ or 240 ₽.
Purple gold jewelry
In Asia, Europe, the USA and Russia today, purple gold is the most in demand. It is appreciated by lovers of inserts of other colors - purple, for example, with white, looks very sophisticated.
White and purple gold ring
This gold is compatible with human skin and does not cause allergic reactions even after prolonged wear. The metal has a high purity and a small amount of impurities, so it is recommended even for those who are sensitive to low-carat gold.
Where can I buy this decoration? Purple gold is also called Singapore gold in honor of its homeland. It is there that the company that holds the patent for this alloy is located. You can order either when you arrive in Singapore or via the Internet from this company.
The company keeps releasing new collections, its catalog is replenished with new and unusual solutions for lovers of exclusive jewelry. The price of such gold is much higher than that of yellow, white and red metals. This is due to the low level of competition in this market due to the fact that the production technology is kept secret, as well as the complexity of manufacturing. Therefore, purple gold is twice as expensive as regular gold.
Kaya jam
Photo source: amazon.com
Kaya paste is a coconut jam that is Singapore's favorite breakfast treat. It can be bought in many shopping centers on counter islands. For example, Ya Kun Kaya, in Toast box coffee shops, BreadTalk store or in the gift-shop of the Botanical Garden.
Price - 3-8 sgd per jar or 2-5 €, 2.2-6 $, 143-380 ₽ or 15-20 sgd for a gift package of four mini-jars - that's 10-13 €, 11-15 $, 716-955 RUR.
Purple gold, characteristics, features and properties
Purple gold is an interesting invention by jewelers who always strive for innovation in their craft to add creativity and beauty to their jewelry. Although purple gold has only recently been used in jewelry, it has rapidly gained popularity due to its unique color. There is no such gold in nature. A metallurgical scientist from Singapore invented a system for producing such gold. In 1999, he invented a 19-fold violet alloy containing 80% gold and 20% aluminum and palladium. This gold looks like a jewelry alloy based on palladium and aluminum. This gold alloy is of high quality, depending on the name of the alloying elements, it corresponds to 18 or 19 carats.
Violet gold metal is an intermetallic compound in which there are two aluminum atoms for every gold atom. Unfortunately, this alloy is very brittle and therefore practically cannot be processed further (forging, rolling, grinding, drawing). The fusion temperature of metals is 50000C, at which a purple alloy is obtained. To eliminate the porosity defect, jewelers began to add palladium, which gives the alloy a certain malleability. The way of combining these three metals is not easy, since gold is a refractory metal, aluminum is very light, and palladium is very refractory. Therefore, the technological process of obtaining purple gold metal is to strictly maintain the proportions of the amount of each metal, adherence to the temperature regime to obtain the required composition, and the accuracy of the work of the jeweler-technologist. The process itself is expensive and labor-intensive. But, thanks to this, the alloy is obtained without flaws, the price of this gold is very high.
The entire manufacturing process is kept strictly confidential and is known only to a few trusted jewelers who are directly involved in the manufacturing. Using the latest technologies, this alloy is tested hundreds of times and only then reaches the consumer. Yet the purple gold metal is fragile, oxidizes quickly and is unsuitable for daily wear, so it is used as separate elements of jewelry and combined with ordinary precious metal. This alloy does not cause allergic reactions, which is a big plus for those who suffer from allergies. Although sometimes you can find jewelry made entirely of purple gold metal, this is very rare and the price for them is very high.
The use of purple gold is primarily in jewelry. The color itself captivates mainly women, it attracts and evokes a lot of emotions. Jewelry can be of various kinds - rings, brooches, pins, earrings, necklaces, decorated with speckled purple gold. Such jewelry items are widely displayed in expensive salons and exhibitions. At this time, such jewelry is in demand in many developed countries, and, despite the high price, they find their owner.
Tiger Balm
Photo source: japanisgood.ru
The most popular medicine in Singapore is tiger balm. Its components have been used in Chinese medicine for over 1,500 years to treat pain, inflammation and strengthen muscles. Currently, the balm consists exclusively of plant components.
Price:
3-8 sgd - 2-5 €, 3-6 $, 150-380 ₽.
The birthplace of "Singapore gold"
Purple gold jewelry was once worn by pharaohs in Egypt. In the Cairo Museum you can see ancient items made of purple gold:
- rings;
- pendants;
- brooches;
- necklaces;
- bracelets;
- amulets.
Purple Gold Amulet
During the period when archaeologists discovered a new precious metal, Robert Williams Wood, an American scientist, made a discovery about the composition of such an alloy. But, despite this, jewelers did not make jewelry from this gold due to the high fragility of the alloy.
Singapore is the birthplace of modern amethyst gold. It was there in 1999 that scientist Lo Peng Cham presented his improved composition of purple gold. The most beautiful and high-quality jewelry can now be bought in Singapore.
Purple gold ring
