Precious metals refinery in Malaysia

For Immediate Release

International investment companies AAIC Ltd and BWT Investments Ltd have joined forces to take advantage of the surge in demand for physical gold bullion, committing an initial US$25m to develop a global network of precious metals refineries.

The first new refinery, which will produce gold bullion of the finest purity, will be built in Malaysia at a cost of US$10m. Further factories are earmarked for the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and South America in an expansion that will take five years to complete.

Group Managing Director Patrick Harvey said: ?Malaysia is the ideal location for our first factory as it has liberal gold trading laws and an investor friendly fiscal framework. The refineries will produce up to ten tons of bullion a month each and will take advantage of new environmentally sound technologies?

AAIC Ltd is an international investment company established in Guernsey, CI with strong ties to Malaysia, London, and the US, and BWT Investments Ltd is part of the international BWT Group of Companies.

For further comment, please contact:

Chandrasegaran in Malaysia on +60 1 29172150 or by e-mail at chandran@aaicl.com

Bryan L. Cook in London on +44 207 193 0107 or Zurich on +41 44 586 2280 or by e-mail at blcook@aaicl.com

Kuala Lumpur, 24 February 2010

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Gold, Silver And Platinum - They're Not Called 'Precious' Metals For Nothing

When you're buying a special piece of jewellery - whether it's an engagement ring or a birthday necklace - it's likely you'll hear the term 'precious metal' thrown around a lot. But what exactly is a precious metal - and what makes it so 'precious'? When it comes to jewellery, the three most precious metals are silver, gold and platinum - in that particular order. And if you're buying jewellery made out of these metals, it's important to know what each of them denotes, and how expensive they are, before making your purchase.

Silver, for example, is one of the cheapest precious metals, and currently sits at about one fiftieth the price of gold by mass, although it did once trade at one sixth the price of gold before the Age of Discovery. As a soft metal, silver needs to be alloyed with other metals before being made into jewellery, in order to make the metal stronger and more resistant. 'Sterling Silver' needs to contain at least 92.5% pure silver in order to gain this mark (the remaining 7.5% is usually comprised of copper). This small copper content means that silver jewellery is likely to tarnish, so if you're thinking about buying a sterling silver ring or bracelet, it's important to make sure you clean in properly. Many people like to use toothpaste to clean silver jewellery, but if you're looking for a less abrasive cleaning formula, it's best to invest in a silver-cleaning fluid at the time of purchase. Further, to make sure the silver jewellery you've bought is high quality, ensure that it's been stamped with a purity mark (like 925) before you buy.

Gold, on the other hand, has long-held associations with investment and wealth as a precious metal. As with silver, gold is a soft metal and so also has to be alloyed with other metals to make it hard enough for jewellery making. Pure gold, for example is yellow, while white gold is gold that has been alloyed with nickel, copper and zinc, and can sometimes look similar to platinum. In this way, the colour of gold can be manipulated in order to create a number of different types.

Of these three popular precious metals, however, platinum is the most expensive. Its heavy-weight and durable nature means that it's great for diamond-encrusted jewellery and is similar in colour, though not in properties, to white gold. Generally speaking, platinum jewellery is 90% pure platinum and 10% iridium or palladium alloy. Moreover, jewellery that contains more than 95 per cent pure platinum is marked 'platinum' (950 plat or 950pt), whereas 85 percent pure platinum will be marked 850plat or 850pt. Platinum jewellery is rapidly gaining popularity and other related metals - like palladium and titanium - are, as a result being used with increasing frequency in jewellery-making. Hence, platinum jewellery designs are often modern and chunky, with an ethos that reflects the lifestyle of its new buyers.

Elisha Burberry is an online, freelance journalist and keen traveller and watersports enthusiast. Originally from Scotland, she now resides in London.

How About Investing in Precious Metals Like Gold and Silver?

Have you ever thought about investing in precious metals like gold and silver? Do you know that gold prices are soaring higher and higher for the last many months? If these soaring gold prices make you feel like investing in gold, then you need to know that there is another precious metal that can give three times more gain in the future as compared to gold. IF you invest in that metal and in gold took, you can reap a windfall!

So, you are interested in gold investing! Than read on! There is another metal, I told you about. This metal can give three times more return as compared to gold. Guess what is that precious metal? Platinum? No, it is silver also known as the while metal. Gold and silver have always been considered to be things of beauty in human history. Silver less so but still those women who could not afford gold, would always wear silver.

What's so special about gold and silver. Gold has been ingrained in the human psychy as the thing of beauty as the ultimate wealth. Throughout human history, people have been hoarding gold. The same phenomenon has not taken hold of different countries. Dollar has become weak due to the recent financial crisis that the world experienced. Countries like China, Russia and India want to hedge their international currency reserves most of them being in US Dollar. So, they want the ultimate currency, "gold."

This way these countries think they would be safe in case of a major Dollar devaluation that might take place in the unforseen future. Silver is also being bought as both gold and silver have been used to mint coins from times immemorial. This trend of buying huge quantities of gold and silver is driving their prices sky high. Remember the time in 19th century when the world was on the gold standard. Countries would keep gold and silver as international reserves. We might be headed back to that time!You never know.

No one knows the future. No one could predict the birth of the present currency markets that took place in 1973. No one knows the future of currency markets! Now, gold and silver respond to almost the same fundamentals. When gold prices go up, silver prices will invariably follow. Silver or the while metal is experiencing many other forces that can force the prices of this white metal to rocket even faster than gold even beyond those driving megatrends the while metal shares with gold.

Now, there is a huge imbalance between the supply and demand of silver. Silver is widely used in the electronics industry, photography, soldering metal pipes, plastic industry, coin minting, laptops, digital cameras, dishwashers and even refrigerators. What this shows is the supply of silver is even more limited as compared to gold. The best way to profit from investing in this gold and silver rush that is going to happen in 2010 and beyond is to purchase gold and silver calls or trade gold and silver futures.

Trading futures is a what you need right now. One of the best ways to trade commodities is to learn futures trading. Position yourself for the coming gold and silver rush by starting paper trading gold and silver futures contracts Another method to invest in the upcoming gold and silver rush is to invest in gold and silver mining companies by buying their stocks. Investing in gold and silver mining companies had made a lot of people rich in 1970s to 1980s. The same can happen in the coming decade.

I give you one example, how things exploded in 1970s when the gold and silver boom suddenly started. Silver prices in 1970 went from just $1.29 per ounce to it's peak of $49.45 per ounce in 1980 in just ten years giving a whooping gain of 3,773%. Now compare that with the measly 12-15% return on Dow or S&P 500 Index. You may be thinking that this is distant memory. Those days of gold and silver are gone! But,this time people are sure, even better days lie ahead for those who will invest in gold and silver.

Take another example of a junior silver mining company, the Lion Mines. It's stock was trading at $0.07 in 1976! Yeah, that's just 7 cents. Within a short span of 41/2 years, it's stock price had reached a whooping $380 per share. Can you imagine that! If you had just invested $184 in the shares of Lion Mines Company, you could have easily made a million dollar in just under 41/2 years. This time, again a boom is lying around the corner in the silver market. Don't wait!

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Gold and Silver - The Crucial Reason Why Investors Should Own Precious Metals

Gold and silver have been a store of value and a medium of exchange for literally thousands of years. As assets, these two precious metals have certainly had their ups and downs in recent decades. But why consider them today? Are they better or worse than other asset classes (such as stocks or bonds) in today's uncertain economy?

There are always advantages and disadvantages to acquiring any given asset or security when the goal is wealth-building (or wealth preservation). We know that when times are good, and the economy is roaring along, stocks tend to do very well. When times are bad and the economy seems to be hitting a rough patch, conventional wisdom has been to keep more money in safer venues such as government bonds or bank certificates of deposit (CDs).

Every asset has strengths and weaknesses and it is up to the investor (and/or there advisor) to figure out which asset is preferable at a given. For 2010, and beyond, there is a solid reason why gold and silver are strong considerations for investors concerned about today's economy and financial markets.

Although the typical reasons given for investors to consider owning gold and silver are that they are traditionally good hedges against inflation and market turmoil, there is another reason that often missed...even by financial planners and experienced investment pros. In today's market environment, this may very well be the most important reason of all to consider precious metals.

Counter-party risk. It sounds odd but it is probably the most important reason why investors should add gold and silver to their portfolios. Specifically I am referring to gold and silver physical BULLION. In other words, gold and silver physical coins and bars purchased from reputable dealers. Why?

One of the most desirable benefits of owning gold and silver physical coins and/or bars is that these two metals do not have "counter-party risk". Counter-party risk is the risk that the counter-party in a particular security will be not able to live up to its' promise or performance. Virtually all paper assets (stocks, bonds, mutual funds and even bank investments and currencies) have counter-party risk. If you are still a little unsure of the concept, let me give you some examples.

? When you own a stock, there is counter-party risk. The stock is only as valuable (or desirable) as how well the company involved is performing. If the company is doing well, the stock will continue to have value. However, if the company is in trouble (financial or otherwise), or it is in danger or bankruptcy, then the stock will lose value. Ultimately, if the company goes bankrupt, the stock becomes worthless. Example: Enron or Bear Stearns.

? When you own a bond, it has counter-party risk. What happens if the bond issuer goes out of business or refuses to pay back the principal and/or interest? Then the bond loses value and it could become worthless should the bond issuer not make good on the promise to pay the bond (and interest) in full. Example: Bonds created from sub-prime mortgage securities.

? When you have money in a mutual fund, or hedge fund or some third-party manager, there is counter-party-risk. What if that fund goes out of business? What if their portfolio is loaded with bad Securities? What about fraud? Example: Bernard Madoff.

I think that you are getting the picture. "Paper assets" have counter-party risk. That risk is not limited to just stocks, bonds or funds. In recent years we have learned that sometimes your money is not safe in a bank. In addition, even cash itself can have counter-party risk because of inflation. When governments crank up the printing press to unleash hyper-inflation (as in Yugoslavia in 1989-94 or Zimbabwe 2006-09), the currency becomes worthless literally overnight.

Gold and silver do not have counter-party risk. They have their own intrinsic value and that value is not dependent on another party's promise or performance. Remember...physical bullion since owning stock in gold and silver mining companies has many of the same counter-party risks that any other stocks would have.

Part of the reason that precious metals have this unique quality is that gold and silver can not be created out of thin air by any government. Both are finite in supply and it is not easy to extract them from the earth. Annual mining only adds about two percent to the world's above-ground supplies.

Next time you hear the word "diversification", think "outside the... uh... paper box". Don't just diversify among paper assets since the portfolio would still be exposed to counter-party risk. Add non-paper assets like gold and silver for more assured diversification.

Paul Mladjenovic is a CFP, author and national seminar leader. He is the author of The Unofficial Guide to Picking Stocks and Zero-Cost Marketing. Since 2000, he has been one of the most successful financial forecasters in the nation by accurately forecasting many economic events including the housing bubble, commodities bull market and the recessions of 2001 and 2008 among others. Paul is the editor of the Prosperity Alert newsletter and his website is http://www.SuperMoneyLinks.com and his blog is http://www.Mladjenovic.blogspot.com.

Gold, Silver, and Platinum - All About Wedding Jewelry Precious Metals

When you begin shopping for your wedding jewelry, the choices can be overwhelming. Not only are there numerous options, but you want your engagement ring, wedding band, and bridal jewelry sets to have a cohesive style. To get you started, take a look at this guide which explains the differences between all the different types of wedding jewelry metals, including gold, platinum, and silver.

Gold has been a traditional material for wedding jewelry for thousands of years. Malleable enough to fashion into decorative designs, durable enough to last for generations, gold has been one of the most revered precious metals since ancient times. Gleaming yellow gold will add a rich luster to your wedding jewelry. 24kt (pure gold) is considered to be too soft for jewelry like rings, so it is usually alloyed for strength and sometimes for color. 18kt gold (75% gold with 25% alloys) is the standard in Europe and is preferred by American fine jewelers for its higher gold content and richer color. 14kt gold is 14 out of 24 parts pure gold, and is popular for couples who like the beautiful color of gold but are looking to save a little bit on price.

White gold and rose gold are created when an alloy is added to yellow gold to change the color. Many people confuse white gold with platinum, but there are some differences. Platinum will have the purest and brightest white color, since unlike white gold, that it its natural color. White gold is also a bit softer than platinum, although it can still be quite durable. Most people choose white gold over platinum because it is considerably less expensive. Look for white gold wedding bands which have been rhodium finished to give them a brighter white appearance. The process may need to be repeated from time to time, but will definitely improve the look of the metal. Brides and grooms with sensitive skin should take care to select white gold wedding jewelry which is not alloyed with nickel, which can be very allergenic. Look for palladium alloys instead.

Brides who want the strongest and most valuable precious metal for their bridal jewelry turn to platinum. Very dense and strong, the brilliant white metal is ideal for securing diamonds. Due to its strength, it is common for even yellow gold engagement rings to have platinum prongs holding the diamond. It is also naturally hypo-allergenic, making it a good choice for wedding bands for men and women with sensitive skin. Platinum is popular for both modern and vintage inspired jewelry designs. The major drawback of platinum is its high price.

Silver is a very popular metal for bridal jewelry sets as well as bridesmaid jewelry. The white metal makes an excellent coordinate to a white gold or platinum engagement ring, but is also highly affordable. The malleability of silver makes it wonderful for jewelers to use when creating handcrafted sets of bridal jewelry. Silver is often used as the metal of choice for wedding jewelry sets featuring freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals.

Newer to the fine jewelry scene are metals such as titanium and palladium. The chief appeal of titanium is that it combines strength with lightness. It does not however, offer the same radiance of platinum, silver, or white gold, and titanium rings can be problematic to cut off in case of emergency. Palladium is a member of the platinum family, and until recently was primarily used as an alloy. It shares the same whiteness as platinum, but can be prone to discoloration when soldered, making it more difficult to use for jewelry. With so many beautiful options, the bride and groom can be sure that they will be able to find the perfect jewelry for their wedding.

Read Guy's other articles on weddings,society and fashions and let us know what you think. Call us at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ for help with your bridal jewelry sets or bridesmaid gift needs. We are pleased to offer free shipping on all jewelry orders over $99.