Editing Tungsten (section)

===Gold substitution===
Its density, similar to that of gold, allows tungsten to be used in jewelry as an alternative to [[gold]] or [[platinum]].<ref name="albert" /><ref>{{cite book|isbn = 978-0-313-33507-5| chapter = tungsten|pages = 190–192| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DIWEi5Hg93gC&pg=PA190|author = Hesse, Rayner W.|date = 2007|publisher = Greenwood Press|location = Westport, Conn.|title = Jewelrymaking through history: an encyclopedia}}</ref> Metallic tungsten is [[hypoallergenic]], and is harder than gold alloys (though not as hard as tungsten carbide), making it useful for [[ring (finger)|rings]] that will resist scratching, especially in designs with a [[brushed finish]].

Because the density is so similar to that of gold (tungsten is only 0.36% less dense), and its price of the order of one-thousandth, tungsten can also be used in [[counterfeiting]] of [[gold bar]]s, such as by plating a tungsten bar with gold,<ref name="popsci">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2008-03/how-make-convincing-fake-gold-bars|title=How to Make Convincing Fake-Gold Bars|last=Gray|first=Theo|date=March 14, 2008|magazine=[[Popular Science]]|access-date=2008-06-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229174828/http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2008-03/how-make-convincing-fake-gold-bars|archive-date=December 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.kitco.com/ind/willie/nov182009.html Zinc Dimes, Tungsten Gold & Lost Respect] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008050729/http://www.kitco.com/ind/willie/nov182009.html |date=2011-10-08 }}", Jim Willie, Nov 18 2009</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.coinupdate.com/largest-private-refinery-discovers-gold-plated-tungsten-bar-0171/|title=Largest Private Refinery Discovers Gold-Plated Tungsten Bar – Coin Update|website=news.coinupdate.com}}</ref> which has been observed since the 1980s,<ref>{{Cite news
 |agency        = Reuters
 |title       = Austrians Seize False Gold Tied to London Bullion Theft
 |work        = The New York Times
 |access-date  = 2012-03-25
 |date        = 1983-12-22
 |url         = https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/22/world/austrians-seize-false-gold-tied-to-london-bullion-theft.html
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120327020539/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/22/world/austrians-seize-false-gold-tied-to-london-bullion-theft.html
 |archive-date = 2012-03-27
}}</ref> or taking an existing gold bar, drilling holes, and replacing the removed gold with tungsten rods.<ref>[http://ausbullion.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/tungsten-filled-gold-bars.html Tungsten filled Gold bars] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326145127/http://ausbullion.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/tungsten-filled-gold-bars.html |date=2012-03-26 }}, ABC Bullion, Thursday, March 22, 2012</ref> The densities are not exactly the same, and other properties of gold and tungsten differ, but gold-plated tungsten will pass superficial tests.<ref name="popsci" />

Gold-plated tungsten is available commercially from China (the main source of tungsten), both in jewelry and as bars.<ref>[http://www.tungsten-alloy.com/en/alloy11.htm Tungsten Alloy for Gold Substitution] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322123252/http://www.tungsten-alloy.com/en/alloy11.htm |date=2012-03-22 }}, China Tungsten</ref>