Why 24K Gold ?

Archival CD and DVD media should be made with 24K gold. Period. No excuses or half solutions.

If you are truly wanting to archive any data whether it is photos, videos, records or anything of significant importance then there is really no reason not to do it the absolute best way. Unless you have budget constraints that make this impossible the peace of mind in knowing that you have preserved these precious memories for your grandchildren and beyond is priceless.

So you're wondering why the big deal about gold. Not just gold but 24K gold. Right? It has to do with oxidization. Oxidization on a disc occurs when oxygen comes in contact with the metal reflective layer. You know how those silver rings you got as a kid turned your finger green? That is the metal oxidizing. Now imagine your data relying on the silver staying shiny so it can reflect the microscopic details that make up your data. Once the silver loses it's reflective qualities you lose your important photos, etc. Gold does not oxidize at anywhere near the rate that silver or aluminum does. 24K gold, being pure, is at the top of the chart for its ability to resist oxidization. There is no better material to make discs out of. None.

This is especially important with DVDs. The metal on a CD is encased with polymer, therefore affording it a decent amount of protection. This is why a quality silver CD can have an archival rating of 100 years. The DVD on the other hand is made up of two pieces of polymer laminated together. This joint is where the oxygen comes in contact with the metal and starts the oxidizing process. If you're using DVDs for your vital information be sure to use 24K gold with an archival rating of 100 years. Don't trust any disc that doesn't display this attribute. There are some gold/silver discs out now for about half the price that should be avoided if you're serious about archiving. Even weaker than that are some products now that are "gold colored". This is simply a dye in the lacquer surface and is completely bogus as far as archival quality goes.