This element resides in the periodic table boundary dividing metals and non-metals. Often called metalloids, germanium shares with the former its unmistakably metallic luster but, unlike a soda can or a pair of scissors, if you drop it on the floor it’ll shatter into a million particles.

Germanium also happens to be fairly rare. A bucketful of earth chemically separated into its constituent elements and then split into a million equal portions will yield one tiny speck of pure germanium. That rarity explains why, in part, the total annual production is measured in the tens of tons - compare that to the 1.7 billion tons of steel made worldwide!

Today most of the paltry amount of germanium extracted goes into making specialty glass like fibre optics and infrared lenses. A little less than 1% however is “wasted” in the new in the new industry of making useless trinkets that look cool sitting on a display - ahem!