This humble metal used to be so difficult to refine that it was used as jewelry back in the 19th century until the Heroult process made it, well, dirt cheap! Today aluminum is second only to iron in industrial use and might even upstage the leader if it were only cheaper to make. And that day might come as the cost of electricity drops with new energy technology.

Our sample’s claim to fame is the heady grade of its purity: 99.996%!