At less than one part in a billion, rhenium is the least abundant of the non-radioactive metals. Like gold and platinum, it is a precious metal that resists corrosion even at high temperatures but unlike those two it is too rare and poorly known to have made much of a dent in the jewelry world.

That is not to say that rhenium has low demand. On the contrary, it is used in a wide variety of hi-tech instruments, biomedicine and the aerospace industry where again its resistance to corrosion and ability to withstand high temperatures without melting make it a great choice for rocket nozzles: the business end where the superheated gases of combustion would make short work of ordinary alloys.

Rhenium mining as such does not exist because of the aforementioned extreme rarity. However, what little rhenium there is is typically associated with its sister element molybdenum which is extensively mined. In molybdenum ores it is found riding shotgun at a reported rate of anywhere between 0.01% to as much as 0.2%. Those refiners working with molybdenum therefore obviously watch over eagle-eyed for every last trace of this valuable metal. Chile has the world's largest reserves and with new refineries due to come online shortly expect to inject new streams of rhenium into a hungry world market ready to use it.

In this 50mm cube we’ve put five shiny arc-melted beads of 99.95% pure rhenium and we guarantee you’re going to love it!