Major refineries like Johnson Matthey, Handy & Harmon, etc., do not sell all their refined gold as bars to banks, governments or private mints. Some of their product is sold to distributors who in turn sell it to jewelry manufacturers. This gold is usually of certified purity and in the form of smaller bars or “casting grain”. Casting grain is made from gold already alloyed into 14K, 10K, etc., and poured while molten through a sort of ceramic sieve into water. The gold instantly solidifies into little pieces about the size and shape of rice or smaller. This is usually sold in ounce bags or bigger for jewelers to melt and cast into jewelry.