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That's why it's mostly nickel.

Their FAQ still warns about scratches & how you have to use a micro-fiber cloth. I would think there would be some sort of metal you can both engrave very precisely but also not have to worry about it scratching like my eyeglasses.

Or else put a layer of plastic on the surface more permanent than your standard floppy lcd screen throwaway.

You could make it out of tungsten, but it'd be heavy, brittle, and an absolute bastard to machine. It'd probably increase the breakeven cost by an order of magnitude.

For protecting the surface finish of the gold, you'd probably want something like the polycarbonate cases you sometimes see used for rare or precious coins.

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