How Much Is A Sheet Of Gold Leaf Worth?

It’s shiny, decorative, and even edible. It can be placed on a variety of surfaces for a refined and elegant look as well. This material we are talking about is called gold leaf. 

If you have looked into covering items for an event with some gold leaf sheets, you probably have noticed that it isn’t expensive to purchase. This can cause us to wonder how valuable these thin layers of gold actually are. 

How much is a sheet of gold leaf worth?

A sheet of gold leaf is typically worth $1-2 in gold value since it is so incredibly thin and lightweight. To buy a sheet of gold leaf will always cost more than just the value of the gold since you are also buying the labor and expenses that went into making that thin sheet of gold ready to use. 

Gold leaf is gold that has been beaten down into a very thin sheet and is commonly used in gilding as well as decorative purposes for baked goods. This material has been used for thousands of years on picture frames, in architecture, furniture, and signs. 

It glows with a warm tint in low light and shines brightly in bright sunlight. 

It is interesting to note that the Statue of Liberty and several capital domes are covered in this 24k gold leaf. Just about any surface can use some of the shiny metals covering. Gold leaf is even used to decorate cakes and parties in some cases. 

Gold leaf is very thin. It is flattened so thin that it averages about 0.12 microns in thickness. Copier paper is 130 microns and a human hair is about 60 microns, making gold leaf even thinner than either of these. 

When you hold a gold leaf up to a bright light, it is so thin you can see right through it. It has to be handled very carefully since it can easily be destroyed. Gold leaf comes packaged in paper books with a special tissue paper separating each sheet. These booklets are viable in a variety of types and shades. 

Each sheet is about 3 ⅛ inch a square for the Asian size and 3 ⅜ inch for the European size.

Gold leaf sheets costs can vary based on where you are buying it from and how many sheets you are buying. The price you will pay in the store or online is anywhere from $5 to $20 for a few sheets. Now, the price you will pay and the product’s gold value are different. The price is whatever the seller wants you to pay for the product while the value of the gold leaf depends on what gold is valued at at the moment. 

This is ever changing and every day could be different since it is based on supply and demand of gold. 

The current value of gold determines the price of the gold leaf but since it is flattened so thin, it is only a small amount of gold. Right now, gold is worth almost $2,000 per ounce, $63 per gram. An ounce or gram are, of course, a lot larger than a micron and the gold leaf measures out to be only .12 of a micron. This means that for one sheet of gold leaf, it’s worth only $1 or $2 or even less as the price of gold fluctuates. 

To see the most popular gold leaf sheets and their current prices just click here. 

Are Gold Leaf Sheets Real Gold?

You can purchase gold leaf sheets at many stores and even online. Amazon has a variety of selections of gold leaf booklets that you can easily purchase too. It seems that gold leaf sheets aren’t that expensive to buy which can cause us to wonder, are they even real gold?

Gold leaf sheets are indeed real gold. They are not that expensive to purchase since they are only a small amount of the precious metal. Pure gold is 24k gold so if the gold leaf sheet you are looking at is 24k gold, then it is almost completely made of pure gold (just a really small amount of it). 

Yes, gold leaf is made of real 24k gold. 24k gold is almost completely pure gold. This is because not many things are made with 100 percent pure gold since gold is very soft and easily damaged alone. So, metal alloys are added to the gold to make it stronger and more valuable. 

24k gold is 99 percent pure gold with that 1 percent being another metal alloy, usually silver. Still, it is very valuable and worth a lot. But, like we said before, how much 24k gold is worth depends on its weight and the current price of gold.

Gold leaf is a popular choice for decorative purposes since it is just a thin sheet that can be applied over a source to give it a gold look. It is flattened down very thin so that it isn’t worth very much because it isn’t much gold. 

Gold is worth more the more it weighs and gold leaf is as light as a feather. Matter of fact, gold leaf is so light that it must be handled very carefully. If a sheet of gold leaf is left outside on a windy day, chances are it will just blow away in the wind. 

If you rub a sheet of gold leaf between your palms, it will literally leave behind a shiny film on your hands and  have nothing left over. That is how thin it is. Still, gold leaf sheets are indeed real 24k gold.

Can You Eat Gold Leaf Sheets?

Gold leaf sheets are used in a variety of ways. Since they are just a thin layer of gold, they are easily applied to whatever surface you want to make gold and shiny. We mentioned that they are often used to decorate food. 

So, can you eat gold leaf sheets?

Surprisingly, gold leaf sheets are edible. They are commonly used for decoration on cakes and pastries. Though they are made out of 24k gold, they are safe to eat. Gold doesn’t break down during digestion or absorb into your bloodstream instead passing through the body as waste.

Gold leaf sheets are not only used to make objects beautiful but also different types of food. Many bakers use it on cakes and pastries to add an elegant touch. 

Gold leaf isn’t just decorative, but also edible. It stays on the food while you eat it and eating gold leaf when it is decorating cakes or other pastries will not harm your body in any way. 

Gold leaf is very thin and you won’t be eating very much of it. Plus, gold doesn’t break down when you’re digesting meaning that it won’t be able to enter your bloodstream. So, when the gold is consumed and goes through your digestive system, it is removed as waste. 

As you can see, it is perfectly safe to eat gold leaf.

Final Thoughts

A sheet of gold leaf is only worth an amount ranging from a few cents to a few dollars. This depends on its weight in gold (which isn’t very much) as well as the current value of gold. 

Since gold leaf is a very thin and small amount of 24k gold, it isn’t worth very much based on its gold value.