ETALONStarting with responsibly mined gold
Gold-backed ounces with proof you can check
Etalon Vault issues gold-backed ounces. Each one is backed by allocated gold in a vault and carries a record of where that gold came from, from the mine to the vault. Other real assets will follow under the same rules.
We share details only with people who qualify, after a review. Who qualifies depends on the offer and the country. The evidence page explains how each asset's proof is kept.
What we issue
One ounce, backed by one fine troy ounce of allocated gold
We issue an ounce only after the gold behind it has been delivered, set aside by bar and checked by an outside party.
Backed bar by bar
Every ounce is backed by one fine troy ounce of allocated gold, set aside by bar serial number in a vault.
Issued after delivery, never before
An ounce is created only after the gold has been delivered, set aside and checked. Nothing is issued ahead of the gold.
The record stays with the ounce
The evidence file sits on a digital record on a blockchain and moves with the ounce. It is shared by role, so each reader sees what they are meant to see.
From mine to ounce
Each step leaves a document behind
Our first route is a contract for future production between a buyer and a miner. Other routes will follow, and every one of them ends the same way: no ounce until the gold is refined, vaulted and checked.
Mined
By a miner whose ownership, permits and output we review before any offer.
Production records
Tested
A lab that doesn't work for us measures the gold content of samples.
Lab report
Refined
Mine output is refined into investment-grade bars, and the refinery measures their gold content.
Refinery assay
Vaulted
Specific bars are set aside by serial number, and an outside party confirms them.
Bar list and vault receipt
Issued
One gold-backed ounce for each ounce of checked, vaulted gold.
Evidence file
The evidence file
Each ounce comes with a four-part evidence file
If you buy gold, or the right to gold that will be mined later, you should be able to see where it came from, exactly what you own and who profits. Every asset's file has the same four parts, so you can compare one with another.
Origin and miner
Proof the gold was mined legally and responsibly, with records that trace it.
Asset and rights
What the asset is, what the contract gives you and what is still owed.
Outside review
Lab tests, audits and legal checks, each with a date and the reviewer's name.
Risks and terms
What could go wrong, and what the contract says happens if it does.
Our framework
Three questions every asset has to answer
The answers go into the evidence file, backed by documents and signed by the people who checked them.
Where did it come from?
Was it mined legally? Were workers treated fairly? Can anyone check these claims?
What exactly do I own?
Are the asset, your rights under the contract and the money owed all described accurately?
Who profits, who takes the risk and who decides?
Will the agreements hold up in court? Can people understand their choices? Is it clear how profits are shared?
Who it's for
Built for mine owners, buyers and independent reviewers
Show buyers where your gold comes from
Turn your permits, production records and practices into a record buyers can check, without publishing your name or location.
See if you qualifyRead the full record before you commit
Your rights, the money, the risks and the proof, in one file, before you decide anything.
Request access to offersCheck the claims yourself
Test each claim on your own method and sign what you find, without taking the founders' word for it.
Get access to review documentsOur first deal
One deal has to work end to end before we take on a second
Review the miner
Who they are, how much they've mined and what permits they hold.
Set the legal rights
The contract says exactly what the buyer gets and when.
Get outside proof
Experts who don't work for Etalon Vault confirm the claims.
Sign a buyer
A buyer commits before we take on more.
A right to future gold is different from gold in a vault. Until delivery, a buyer holds a contract right to receive gold. Once the gold is delivered, allocated and checked, they hold gold-backed ounces. Every Etalon Vault document says which one it covers.
Ask to see the evidence file for our first deal
We share it with qualified buyers, mine owners and reviewers after a short review.