Metal leaf metal leaves, has been known for more than 5,000 years. Metal leaf A metal leaf, also called composition leaf or schlagmetal, is a thin foil used for decoration. Metal leaves can come in many different shades. Some metal leaves may look like gold leaf but does not contain any real gold. This type of metal leaf is often referred to as imitation leaf. Metal leaves are usually made of gold (including many alloys), silver, copper, aluminium, brass (sometimes called "Dutch metal" typically 85% Copper and 15% zinc) or palladium, sometimes also platinum. Vark is a type of silver leaf used
Native metal more reactive than gold. Natural alloys of the platinum group metals include: native osmium (Os,Ir,Ru), rutheniridosmine (Ir,Os,Ru), ruthenium (Ru,Ir), palladium (Pd,Pt), platinum Pt, and rhodium (Rh,Pt). In addition gold, copper, iron, mercury, tin and lead may occur in alloys of this group. As with gold, salts and other compounds of the platinum group metals are rare; native platinum and related metals and alloys are the predominant minerals bearing these metals. These metals occur associated with ultramafic intrusions and placer deposits derived from those intrusions. Native copper has been historically mined as an early source of the metal. The term Old