BETTER THAN GOLD

The capstone of the Washington Monument, when manufactured in 1884, was made out of one of the most valuable and scarce materials of the era--pure aluminum.  At the time, the expense of producing an aluminum capstone was over five times the cost of an equivalent capstone in gold. Like gold, the aluminum did not tarnish, and its durability and uniqueness made it appropriate for this most sacred of American monuments.   Aluminum did not become ubiquitous until a new manufacturing process was developed in 1886 where it could be easily refined by electrolysis instead of by smelting.  Aluminum is actually the third most common element and the most common metal on earth; however, it is never naturally found in its metallic form. For more information on the capstone, click here.