Astronaut Scott Parazynski during a spacewalk on STS-120. The ultra-thin gold coating on the visor provides protection from harmful solar radiation. Image NASA.
While silver is the most common finish for a brass instrument mouthpiece, gold provides a tarnish-free surface that will hold its shine for longer. Maintaining a super smooth finish means the mouthpiece feels less 'grippy' and so can help with lip flexibility and control.
Gold has incredible malleability, which allows it to be beaten into very thin sheets (gold leaf). The foils are used for decoration and gilding on artwork, engraving, frames, packaging and food (gold is inert and edible). It is said than an ounce of gold can be beaten into gold leaf covering 9 m2.
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