Gold ticked lower but held within sight of a record hit in the previous session, with prospects for a weaker dollar in focus on possible further US monetary easing.
Sales of gold scrap persisted in Southeast Asia but volume was small, while Chinese consumers bought some quantity of physical silver despite prices at near 30-year high.
Palladium firmed after rallying to its strongest since early 2008 on Wednesday, while platinum was below a four-month high .
Spot gold eased $US1.30 to $US1307.50 an ounce after hitting a lifetime high around $US1313 an ounce on Wednesday - its 10th record high in the past 12 trading days.
Gold has gained as much as 19.8 per cent this year.
"The market may have consolidation within this $US10 range, but I would expect it to sustain the rally because the momentum has not changed yet," said a bullion dealer at Bank of China in Hong Kong.
"It's not easy to predict the resistance level, but we will try to hit another record high in the next few days."
The dollar struggled near the week's lows against the yen on Thursday and held near a five-month low on the euro, hit by expectations of more Federal Reserve easing.
The Federal Reserve has inched closer to fresh steps to aid the world's largest economy, but Fed officials disagreed on Wednesday on what should prompt more support and what impact more asset purchases could have.
US gold futures for December delivery fell $US1.3 an ounce to $US1309.0 an ounce, not far from Wednesday's record at $US1314.80.
"Scrap from Indonesia and Thailand continues to enter the market but the quantity is not fantastic. I guess because clients are afraid gold will move higher again," said a physical dealer in Singapore.
"The Chinese bought some silver this morning."
Silver, often considered the poor man's gold, normally tracks gold, but an increase in ETF holdings to record levels as well as purchases from physical buyers showed there was a pick up in interest in the white metal.
The world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund, the iShares Silver Trust, said its holdings rose to a record high of 9786.47 tonnes by Sept 29 from 9756.04 tonnes on Sept 28.
Reuters