Of late tungsten is shaking off its obscurity (its biggest industrial use having been as light bulb filaments) and is gaining popularity as a cheaper alternative with which to make jewelry from. Because of its hardness when alloyed with carbon it is also the metal of choice with which to make cutting tools that resist wear much better than ordinary steel. And now its heavy weight (50% heavier than lead) has made chunks of it the playthings of gadget lovers.

For your collection, we’ll place about five grams’ worth of 99.95% pure and shiny tungsten rods.