Some important facts about gold
v
Chemical symbol is
Au referring to its glowing colour. Most gold is
yellow.
v
Gold is mined where
nuggets and grains are found in rocks.
v
When mined it is
usually associated with silver or other metals and has to be
purified.
v
Purity of gold is
measured in karats (or carats). The purest gold is 24
karat.
v
Most gold is mixed
with other alloys and the most popular quality for jewellery in
Europe is 18 karat which has a purity
of 75%.
v
Like other precious
metals gold is measured in grams and troy ounces –
approximately 10% more than an avoirdupois
ounce.
v
Gold is the most
iconic of metals and historically has a unique association with
ornamentation and jewellery.
v
It has great
versatility and practicality and is used, for example, in
medicine, computers and dentistry.
v
Gold is not subject
to oxidisation and does not react to most corrosive
chemicals
v
Gold is so
malleable that it can be made into many shapes and beaten to
make very fine gold foil. It can even be made into
thread
v
Gold blends easily
with other alloys – for example, when blended with platinum it
produces white gold.
v
70% of the total
gold mined throughout history has been produced since 1910. An
indication of the accelerating popularity of the
metal.
Gold has been used,
and prized, from prehistoric times when it was more
plentiful and accessible. In Ancient Egypt it was used
widely in all forms of ornamentation. Hieroglyphs from as
early as 2600 BC refer to gold.
The first recorded use
of gold in coinage dates from the
7th
century BC in both Lydia and China. Major exploitation
for coinage took place under the Romans. Throughout the world
gold has been used as a measure of value. Although some of the
platinum range of metals have higher monetary values gold has
always been the most used international standard (the gold
standard was for many years at the centre of the expansion of
world trade).
Historically and at
the present time gold has been the most popular of the
precious metals.
|