How to Make Gold Jewelry?

Everytime you go to buy gold jewelry at the gold shop, have you ever really asked your self how can they make them?

Because Gold has its owns characteristics and unique scientific properties click here!, the process to make and decorate it must not be that easy.

And that's why,when we buy it, we will be charged for the workers who created each design of gold.

I beg you a pardon to cross the gold mine state.
But I will bring it to you to know so soon.

(Thank you for the Source : Namchiang.com)

1. Melt pure gold in the soil pan, pour in the solid model and mechanical press it first time.

2. Press it harder many times, burn it with more than 1000 degree celcius untill it's glowy red.
Leave it colder a bit,but still soft and then pump it with the special gold pumper.





3. Example for the heart-shaped model, just place the solid plane gold onto it and pump.(It will be hallow inside)




4. The heart-shaped gold will be embossed. Cut the rim of them with the special machine.




5. In this process is not quite finished for heart-shaped gold, they would make it more nice.




6. Put the soldering flux at the edge of heart a bit, burn it with medium high temperature fire and then we have got it!




7. Bring the heart-shaped gold to cut with the special diamond cutting head machine, to make it bright and shiny.




(photo from Namchiang.com, translated by GoldenGold)
(to be continued...)

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Gold jewelry can never go out of style. It can look good on almost everyone. It is the ultimate amalgamation of classic beauty, wealth and style. The value of gold jewelry depends not only upon the style or the designer who has designed it, but most importantly it is dependent upon the quality of gold used to make the gold jewelry. The quality of gold in the gold jewelry is determined by its percentage or by the karat. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold jewelry. The various karat numbers are 24K, 18K, 14K, 12K and 10K - 24K is pure gold. Gold jewelry is also available in various forms.

In some cases it is plated with gold, in some it is filled with gold and in some others the gold jewelry is made of pure gold. Gold by itself is very soft and isn't practical for daily wear which is why it has to be mixed with other additional metals to give it tensile strength such that it can be molded into various designs. Other metals are mixed with it to make it more durable (and to lower its cost). Adding other metals to the mix also allows metallurgists to change the color of gold. Palladium or nickel can be added to create white gold. Adding copper produces a rose or pink tint, while silver gives gold a greenish cast. If you want jewelry which can be worn regularly then it is wise to get it made out of solid gold (Solid gold is a term that can be used to describe an item that's at least 10K (in the US) gold all the way through. Even though it's a gold alloy--18K, 14K, or anything down to 10K--it can be called solid gold.). Gold has in a way always stood as a symbol for wealth, prestige and power.

Through times immemorial gold jewelry has been the ultimate ornamentation for kings, queens and noblemen. At one point of time, gold jewelry was also seen as a status symbol and was not meant for the common man. It still is looked upon as a status symbol since not every one can afford gold jewelry. However because of the numerous forms in which gold jewelry is available to day (such as plated gold, gold filled, gold coated jewelry or gold jewelry of a lower karat), it can now be easily bought by anyone. Gold jewelry does not entail very big or intricate designs, it can even be quite small simple and delicate. How so ever a piece of jewelry maybe, it immediately stands out. There is a timeless classic appeal surrounding it which can never go out of fashion. Gold jewelry is not only something which you can buy for yourself or as a gift to someone you love; you can also buy gold jewelry to keep as an asset. The value of gold jewelry does not depreciate, it only appreciates with time. It can prove to be a very valuable investment.

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(Source :
Gold Jewelry: The Ultimate Adornment For Style, Beauty And Class, isnare.com
By: Angela Davis)

New Gold with the Old Reason

Having produced this 220-pound coin just for publicity's sake, the Royal Canadian Mint was actually contacted by parties interested in purchasing some. So they decided to make the 100-kilogram coins available to order. And three of them have already been sold.

So, through special arrangement with the Canadian Mint and one of its US distributors, we can arrange for them to make you one. Your cost would be only 10% over the actual gold value ($2.75 million or so), a price which includes delivery via Brinks to any commercial address that you designate within the United States.

But if rolling a 220-pound gold wheel around is not your idea of fun, we invite you to consider instead the 1-ounce version special edition of the .99999 gold Maple Leaf for 2007 (Click here to see it on our website)

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Across the pond, the Isle of Man finally announced the release of its 2007 version of the popular Cat series of bullion coins that it began in 1988. The Isle of Man is home to the Manx Cat, a portrait of which started this series some twenty years ago. Since then, through the facilities of the Pobjoy Mint, they have each year manufactured their pure gold bullion Cat coins in sizes of 1-ounce, half-ounce, fifth-ounce, tenth- and twenty-fifth-ounce.

To quote the press release, "This delightful series which depicts a different cat each year has become one of the most popular gold bullion series in the world and we are delighted to announce the release of the 20th Cat coin in the series which features a beautiful Ragdoll cat with her two very endearing kittens."

We will have the coins in a few days, and are taking orders now. Pictures will follow as soon as we get them.

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And from Australia's Perth Mint, we now have word that the ordering period for all of the Series One Lunar coins, from 1996 through 2007 inclusive, in both gold and silver, will come to an end the last week in June 2007.

We are encouraging our customers contemplating large orders to contact us as soon as possible, while supplies are still available at the Mint. We will be placing our last order around June 25th, but some of the currently-available product may already have reached it production limit by them. We are maintaining a substantial inventory of Lunar Series One coins at this time, but once the Mint is out, there is not much chance that we will be able to restock at wholesale prices.

This fall, we will be starting Series Two of the Perth Mint Lunar coins, with the release in September of the Year of the Mouse coin for 2008. The Series Two coins will feature all new designs, and be struck on planchets of different diameters from the Series One issues.

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Meanwhile, back in America, the buffalo is looking more and more like an endangered species. While the U.S. Mint's gold Eagles, now in their 22nd year of production, remain the most popular bullion coins in America, the gold Buffalo program may soon be coming to an end. The likelihood of the Mint ever striking fractional size Buffaloes is diminishing, and there is talk that the bullion issue 1-ounce Buffalo will be extinct after 2007. We will provide details as we hear them from the Mint.

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"If there is one single element around which civilizations have risen or fallen, it is gold. Since the very beginnings of organized society, untold legions have toiled for it, fought for it, and all too often died for it. Great nations, and even whole civilizations, have been known to wither and die for the lack of it. Like it or not, gold has occupied a central place in the affairs of man throughout his recorded history and, like it or not, it may yet decide the future of the United States, or even the ultimate destiny of Western Civilization itself." - Donald J. Hoppe, "The Case for Gold," 1972.

"Nevertheless, gold does maintain its purchasing power over long periods of time. The intriguing aspect of this conclusion is that it is not because gold eventually moves toward commodity prices, but because commodity prices return to gold." - Roy W. Jastram, "The Golden Constant," 1977.

We've all seen prices double for various things over the past few years, including real estate, copper, a loaf of bread, gasoline, you name it. We perceive these as price increases, as if those items magically became worth more, when in fact, what we are seeing is inflation in dollar terms.

When prices double, the operational function of the currency that you hold, or are owed, or have been promised in the future, is cut in half. Without the protection of a constant such as gold, the process of inflation, sometimes slowly, but always inevitably, consumes your wealth.

Remember, our modern dollar is simply a medium of exchange, and not a store of value. It's really up to you to acquire a store of value to protect the purchasing power of your wealth for you and your heritage.

We suggest gold.

(source: onlygold.com-Richard Smith)

Price of Gold

Like other precious metals, gold is measured by troy weight and by grams. When it is alloyed with other metals the term carat or karat is used to indicate the amount of gold present, with 24 karats being pure gold and lower ratings proportionally less. The purity of a gold bar can also be expressed as a decimal figure ranging from 0 to 1, known as the millesimal fineness, such as 0.995 being very pure.

The price of gold is determined on the open market, but a procedure known as the Gold Fixing in London, originating in September 1919, provides a daily benchmark figure to the industry. The afternoon fixing appeared in 1968 to fix a price when US markets are open.

The high price of gold is due to its rare amount. Only three parts out of every billion (0.000000003) in the Earth's crust is gold.

Historically gold was used to back currency; in an economic system known as the gold standard, a certain weight of gold was given the name of a unit of currency. For a long period, the United States government set the value of the US dollar so that one troy ounce was equal to $20.67 ($664.56/kg), but in 1934 the dollar was revalued to $35.00 per troy ounce ($1125.27/kg). By 1961 it was becoming hard to maintain this price, and a pool of US and European banks agreed to manipulate the market to prevent further currency devaluation against increased gold demand.

On 17 March 1968, economic circumstances caused the collapse of the gold pool, and a two-tiered pricing scheme was established whereby gold was still used to settle international accounts at the old $35.00 per troy ounce ($1.13/g) but the price of gold on the private market was allowed to fluctuate; this two-tiered pricing system was abandoned in 1975 when the price of gold was left to find its free-market level. Central banks still hold historical gold reserves as a store of value although the level has generally been declining. The largest gold depository in the world is that of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York, which holds about 3% of the gold ever mined, as does the similarly-laden U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

Since 1968 the price of gold on the open market has ranged widely, with a record high of $850/oz ($27,300/kg) on 21 January 1980, to a low of $252.90/oz ($8,131/kg) on 21 June 1999 (London Fixing).^[10] On 11 May 2006 the London gold fixing was $715.50/oz ($23,006/kg).^[11]

In 2005 the World Gold Council estimated total global gold supply to be 3,859 tonnes and demand to be 3,754 tonnes, giving a surplus of 105 tonnes.

(Source : wikipedia.org)

Production

Economic gold extraction can be achieved from ore grades as little as 0.5 g/1000 kg (0.5 parts per million, ppm) on average in large easily mined deposits. Typical ore grades in open-pit mines are 1–5 g/1000 kg (1-5 ppm), ore grades in underground or hard rock mines are usually at least 3 g/1000 kg (3 ppm) on average. Since ore grades of 30 g/1000 kg (30 ppm) are usually needed before gold is visible to the naked eye, in most gold mines the gold is invisible.

Since the 1880s, South Africa has been the source for a large proportion of the world’s gold supply. Production in 1970 accounted for 79% of the world supply, producing about 1,000 tonnes. However, production in 2005 was just 294 tonnes according to the British Geological Survey. This sharp decline was due to the increasing difficulty of extraction and changing economic factors affecting the industry in South Africa.

The city of Johannesburg was built atop the world's greatest gold finds. Gold fields in the Free State and Gauteng provinces are deep and require the world's deepest mines. The Second Boer War of 1899–1901 between the British Empire and the Afrikaner Boers was at least partly over the rights of miners and possession of the gold wealth in South Africa.

Other major producers are United States, Australia, China and Peru. Mines in South Dakota and Nevada supply two-thirds of gold used in the United States. In South America, the controversial project Pascua Lama aims at exploitation of rich fields in the high mountains of Atacama Desert, at the border between Chile and Argentina. Today about one-quarter of the world gold output is estimated to originate from artisanal or small scale mining.^[7]

After initial production, gold is often subsequently refined industrially by the Wohlwill process or the Miller process. Other methods of assaying and purifying smaller amounts of gold include parting and inquartation as well as cuppelation, or refining methods based on the dissolution of gold in aqua regia.

The world's oceans hold a vast amount of gold, but in very low concentrations (perhaps 1-2 parts per billion). A number of people have claimed to be able to economically recover gold from sea water, but so far they have all been either mistaken or crooks. Reverend Prescott Jernegan ran a gold-from seawater swindle in America in the 1890s. A British fraud ran the same scam in England in the early 1900s.^[8]

Fritz Haber (the German inventor of the Haber process) attempted commercial extraction of gold from sea water in an effort to help pay Germany's reparations following the First World War. Unfortunately, his assessment of the concentration of gold in sea water was unduly high, probably due to sample contamination. The effort produced little gold and cost the German government far more than the commercial value of the gold recovered. No commercially viable mechanism for performing gold extraction from sea water has yet been identified. Gold synthesis is not economically viable and is unlikely to become so in the foreseeable future.

The average gold mining and extraction costs are $238 per troy ounce but these can vary widely depending on mining type and ore quality. In 2001, global mine production amounted to 2,604 tonnes, or 67% of total gold demand in that year. At the end of 2001, it was estimated that all the gold ever mined totalled 145,000 tonnes.^[9]

(Source : wikipedia.org)

Gold's Role in Globalizational Era

Medium of monetary exchange. Pure gold is too soft for ordinary use and is typically hardened by alloying with silver, copper, or other metals. In various countries, gold, and its many alloys, are most often used in jewelry, coinage and as a standard for monetary exchange. The gold content of jewellery alloys is measured in carats (k), pure gold being designated as 24k. It is, however, more commonly sold in lower measurements of 22k, 18k, 14k and 10k. A lower "k" indicates a higher percent of silver, copper or other base metals in the alloy, copper being the more commonly used base metal. Fourteen carat gold-copper alloy is nearly identical in color to certain bronze alloys, and both may be used to produce police and other badges. Eighteen carat gold containing 25% copper is found in some antique jewelry and has a distinct, though not dominant, copper cast, creating an attractively warm color. When alloyed with silver alone, 18 carat gold appears yellow-green in color. White 18 carat gold can be made with 17.3% nickel, 5.5% zinc and 2.2% copper and is silver in appearance. Nickel is toxic, however, and its release from nickel white gold is controlled by legislation in Europe. Alternative white gold alloys are available based on palladium, silver and other white metals (World Gold Council), but the palladium alloys are more expensive than those using nickel. High-carat white gold alloys are far more resistant to corrosion than are either pure silver or sterling silver.

Gold coins intended for circulation from 1526 into the 1930s were typically a standard 22k alloy called crown gold, for hardness. Modern collector/investment bullion coins (which do not require good mechanical wear properties) are typically 24k, although the American Gold Eagle and British gold sovereign continue to be made at 22k, on historical tradition. Until recently, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin contained the highest purity gold of any popular bullion coin, at 99.99% (.9999 fine). However, several other 99.99% pure gold coins are currently available, including Australia's Gold Kangaroos (first appearing in 1986 as the Australian Gold Nugget, with the kangaroo theme appearing in 1989), the several coins of the Australian Lunar Calendar series, and the Austrian Philharmonic. In 2006, the U.S. Mint began production of the American Buffalo gold bullion coin also at 99.99% purity.

Other uses:

In medieval times, gold was often seen as beneficial for the health, in the belief that something that rare and beautiful could not be anything but healthy. Even some modern esotericists and forms of alternative medicine assign metallic gold a healing power. Some gold salts do have anti-inflammatory properties and are used as pharmaceuticals in the treatment of arthritis and other similar conditions. However, only salts and radioisotopes of gold are of pharmacological value, as elemental (metallic) gold is inert to all chemicals it encounters inside the body.
Gold leaf, flake or dust is used on and in some gourmet foodstuffs, notably sweets and drinks as decorative ingredient.[2] Gold flake was used by the nobility in Medieval Europe as a decoration in foodstuffs and drinks, in the form of leafs, flakes or dust, either to demonstrate the host's wealth or in the honest belief that something that valuable and rare must be beneficial for one's health.
Gold solder is used for joining the components of gold jewellery by high-temperature hard soldering or brazing. If the work is to be of hallmarking quality, gold solder must match the carat weight of the work, and alloy formulae are manufactured in most industry-standard carat weights to colour match yellow and white gold. Gold solder is usually made in at least three melting-point ranges referred to as Easy, Medium and Hard. By using the hard, high-melting point solder first, followed by solders with progressively lower melting points, goldsmiths can assemble complex items with several separate soldered joints.
Goldwasser (German: "Goldwater") is a traditional herbal liqueur produced in Gdańsk, Poland and Schwabach, Germany and contains flakes of gold leaf. There are also some expensive (~$1000) cocktails which contain flakes of gold leaf. However, since metallic gold is inert to all body chemistry, it adds no taste nor has it any other nutritional effect and leaves the body unaltered.
Dentistry. Gold alloys are used in restorative dentistry, especially in tooth restorations, such as crowns and permanent bridges. The gold alloys' slight malleability facilitates the creation of a superior molar mating surface with other teeth and produces results that are generally more satisfactory than those produced by the creation of porcelain crowns. The use of gold crowns in more prominent teeth such as incisors is favored in some cultures and discouraged in others.
Gold can be made into thread and used in embroidery.
Gold is ductile and malleable, meaning it is able to be drawn into very thin wire and can be beaten into very thin sheets known as gold leaf.
Gold produces a deep, intense red color when used as a coloring agent in glass.
In photography, Gold toners are used to shift the colour of silver bromide black and white prints towards brown or blue tones, or to increase their stability. Used on sepia-toned prints, gold toners produce red tones. Kodak publish formulae for several types of gold toners, which use gold as the chloride (Kodak, 2006)
Electronics. The concentration of free electrons in gold metal is 5.90×1022 cm-3. Gold is highly conductive to electricity, and has been used for electrical wiring in some high energy applications (silver is even more conductive per volume, but gold has the advantage of corrosion resistance). For example, gold electrical wires were used during some of the Manhattan Project's atomic experiments, but large high current silver wires were used in the calutron isotope separator magnets in the project.
Though gold is attacked by free chlorine, its good conductivity and general resistance to oxidation and corrosion in other environments (including resistance to non-chlorinated acids) has led to its widespread industrial use in the electronic era as a thin layer coating electrical connectors of all kinds, thereby ensuring good connection. For example, gold is used in the connectors of the more expensive electronics cables, such as audio, video and USB cables. The benefit of using gold over other connector metals such as tin in these applications, is highly debated. Gold connectors are often criticized by audio-visual experts as unnecessary for most consumers and seen as simply a marketing ploy. However, the use of gold in other applications in electronic sliding contacts in highly humid or corrosive atmospheres, and in use for contacts with a very high failure cost (certain computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines) remains very common, and is unlikely to be replaced in the near future by any other metal.
Besides sliding electrical contacts, gold is also used in electrical contacts because of its resistance to corrosion, electrical conductivity, ductility and lack of toxicity.[3] Switch contacts are generally subjected to more intense corrosion stress than are sliding contacts.



Colloidal gold (Colloidal sols of gold nanoparticles) in water are intensely red - colored, and can be made with tightly-controlled particle sizes up to a few tens of nm across. Colloidal gold is used in research applications in medicine, biology and materials science. The technique of immunogold labeling exploits the ability of the gold particles to adsorb protein molecules onto their surfaces. Colloidal gold particles coated with specific antibodies can be used as probes for the presence and position of antigens on the surfaces of cells (Faulk and Taylor 1979). In ultrathin sections of tissues viewed by electron microscopy, the immunogold labels appear as extremely dense round spots at the position of the antigen (Roth et al. 1980). Colloidal gold is also the form of gold used as gold paint on ceramics prior to firing.
Gold, or alloys of gold and palladium, are applied as conductive coating to biological specimens and other non-conducting materials such as plastics and glass to be viewed in a scanning electron microscope. The coating, which is usually applied by sputtering with an argon plasma, has a triple role in this application. Gold's very high electrical conductivity drains electrical charge to earth, and its very high density provides stopping power for electrons in the SEM's electron beam, helping to limit the depth to which the electron beam penetrates the specimen. This improves definition of the position and topography of the specimen surface and increases the spatial resolution of the image. Gold also produces a high output of secondary electrons when irradiated by an electron beam, and these low-energy electrons are the most commonly-used signal source used in the scanning electron microscope.
Many competitions, and honors, such as the Olympics and the Nobel Prize, award a gold medal to the winner.
As gold is a good reflector of both infrared and visible light, it is used for the protective coatings on many artificial satellites and in infrared protective faceplates in thermal protection suits and astronauts' helmets.
White gold (an alloy of gold with platinum, palladium, nickel, and/or zinc) serves as a substitute for platinum.
Green gold (a gold/silver alloy) is used in specialized jewelry while gold alloys with copper are more standard, ranging from a pale yellow with little copper all the way to a deep pink with more copper (rose gold).
Blue gold can be made by alloying with iron
Purple gold can be made by alloying with aluminum (done rarely except in specialized jewelry)
Gold is used as the reflective layer on some high-end CDs.
The isotope gold-198, (half-life: 2.7 days) is used in some cancer treatments and for treating other diseases.[citation needed]
Gold can be used in food and has the E Number 175

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(source : wikipedia.org)

(source : kitco.com)

What You Need To Know Before Buying Gold

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Gold has been valued by humanity since the dawn of civilization and gold jewelry never goes out of style. However, in order to make the best possible choice when buying gold jewelry it is good to know some of the basic facts as well as the “jargon" of the jewelry trade. The first thing to know is that gold is as wearer-friendly as it is beautiful. Pure gold doesn't react with other elements to create tarnish. While some people may have an allergy or staining problem with metals combined with gold, gold itself is rarely a problem.

( photo source: namchiang.com)

Gold can be worked into most shapes ranging from tiny strands to very thin sheets. One ounce of gold can even be hammered into a thin sheet spreading out over ten feet square. In short, gold can be manipulated in virtually any way the jeweler or artist wants.

How Pure Is Your Gold?

Gold is used in many ways and there are varying degrees of purity in gold jewelry. Gold jewelry is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K, with the K standing for karat.

The karat system is used to describe the percentage of pure gold in jewelry.

The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold:

24K gold is pure gold.

18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or other metals, equaling 75% gold.

14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or other metals, making it 58.3% gold.

12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or other metals, making it 50% gold.

10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or other metals, making it 41.7% gold.

In the United States, 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called "gold."

European Karat System

In Europe a different karat system is used to indicate the percentage of gold in a piece of jewelry. Here is the system:

18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold

14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%

10K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%

There are other markings that are commonly found on gold. The karat marking should be accompanied by a hallmark or trademark identifying the maker and the country of origin is sometimes included as well.

Why Mix Other Metals With Gold?

This is a good question. Pure gold is soft and it wouldn’t be practical for daily wear. Combining other metals with it makes the gold more durable and the jewelry less expensive.

However, adding other metals changes color of the gold. For example by adding nickel a jeweler is able to create “white gold." By adding copper the jeweler is able to create a “rose gold" with a pink tint, and when silver is added to gold it creates a greenish color.

Metals added to the gold result in an alloy. An alloy is the term given to a blended mixture of metals. However, the term “solid gold" can be used to describe jewelry of at least 10K in the U.S. In addition, a gold alloy of 18K or 14K can also be called “solid gold."

Gold is also used as a coating which is placed on top of less expensive metals. There are many ways to coat another metal with gold and this generally reduces the cost of the item. The thicker the layer of gold that is applied, the less likely it is to wear away, and vice versa.

Gold-Filled Jewelry is the term given to jewelry that has a gold layer.

Newer gold-filled items have markings which indicate how much and what type of gold is used for the layer. The typical marking is: 1/20 12K G.F which means that the item has at least 1/20th 12K gold by weight.

Gold Plated Jewelry is another term used to indicate jewelry with a gold layer on top of other metal. The gold layer in gold-plated jewelry is thinner than the layer in gold filled jewelry, and it wears away more quickly.

Finally there is a type of jewelry designated as “gold washed." Here the layer of gold is very thin and it won’t last very long.

So, what should you buy? Solid gold is durable and the better choice if you wish to wear your jewelry on a regular basis, but it is very expensive. If you have allergies to nickel or other metals then you should choose jewelry that has a high gold content, such as 18K or 22K gold.

Gold filled or gold plated jewelry is suitable for occasional wear but everyday use would diminish the gold layer exposing the metal beneath it. This could stain the skin or result in an allergic reaction. So, if you want to have a lifetime of use then choose the highest quality of gold that you can afford.

Authorized distributed of beautiful pandora bracelets and beads.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bo_Carpenter








(photosource: http://www.dargate.com)




(valuable chart from : kitco.com>

History of Gold

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Egyptian hieroglyphics as early as 2600 BC describe gold as ‘common as dust’. Egypt and Nubia has sufficient gold to make them the major gold area for much of history. The Old Testament mentions gold more than once. The Black Sea was famous for its gold. In Lydia approximately 640 BC gold was used for coins.

Gold Ornaments created by Native Americans in Peru and Columbia, as well as, other countries, fueled the exploration of the Americas. The explorers came seeking this material to bring it home to the rulers of Europe.

In historic times, gold was easy to obtain. Since 1910 over seventy-five percent of all gold reserves have been extracted. Many of us are familiar with the California gold rush of 1910. Large deposits of gold were also discovered in Australia, Colorado, the Black Hills, and, of course, the famous Klondike gold rushes.

Since the 1880s, South Africa has mined a large portion of the gold supply of the entire world. The South African supply has declined since 2004 since it is becoming harder to extract the gold and the economic conditions in the country are affecting the gold industry.

In modern times, we have rewarded medals and decorations for great achievements such as the Gold Medal for the Olympic Games and the Nobel Prize. Gold will always be known for it’s beauty and symbolism.

Nan is an Accountant and Real Estate Professional with an information and research site online Gold and a Business Writer with a blog BusinessTips

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Woodward
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Gold has been known and highly valued since prehistoric times. It may have been the first metal used by humans and was valued for ornamentation and rituals. Egyptian hieroglyphs from as early as 2600 BC describe gold, which king Tushratta of the Mitanni claimed was "more plentiful than dirt" in Egypt.^[4] Egypt and Nubia had the resources to make them major gold-producing areas for much of history. Gold is also mentioned several times in the Old Testament, and is included with the gifts of the magi in the first chapters of Matthew New Testament The south-east corner of the Black Sea was famed for its gold. Exploitation is said to date from the time of Midas, and this gold was important in the establishment of what is probably the world's earliest coinage in Lydia between 643 and 630 BC.

The European exploration of the Americas was fueled in no small part by reports of the gold ornaments displayed in great profusion by Native American peoples, especially in Central America, Peru, and Colombia.

Although the price of some platinum group metals can be much higher, gold has long been considered the most desirable of precious metals, and its value has been used as the standard for many currencies (known as the gold standard) in history. Gold has been used as a symbol for purity, value, royalty, and particularly roles that combine these properties. Gold as a sign of wealth and prestige was made fun of by Thomas More in his treatise Utopia. On that imaginary island, gold is so abundant that it is used to make chains for slaves, tableware and lavatory-seats. When ambassadors from other countries arrive, dressed in ostentatious gold jewels and badges, the Utopians mistake them for menial servants, paying homage instead to the most modestly-dressed of their party.

There is an age-old tradition of biting gold in order to test its authenticity. Although this is certainly not a professional way of examining gold, the bite test should score the gold because gold is considered a soft metal according to the Mohs' scale of mineral hardness. The purer the gold the easier it should be to mark it. Painted lead can cheat this test because lead is softer than gold (and may invite a small risk of lead poisoning if sufficient lead is absorbed by the biting).

Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910.^[5] It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) on a side (8000 m³).

The primary goal of the alchemists was to produce gold from other substances, such as lead — presumably by the interaction with a mythical substance called the philosopher's stone. Although they never succeeded in this attempt, the alchemists promoted an interest in what can be done with substances, and this laid a foundation for today's chemistry. Their symbol for gold was the circle with a point at its center (☉), which was also the astrological symbol, the Egyptian hieroglyph and the ancient Chinese character for the Sun (now 日). For modern attempts to produce artificial gold, see gold synthesis.

During the 19th century, gold rushes occurred whenever large gold deposits were discovered. The first major gold strike in the United States occurred in a small north Georgia town called Dahlonega.^[6] Further gold rushes occurred in California, Colorado, Otago, Australia, Witwatersrand, Black Hills, and Klondike.

Because of its historically high value, much of the gold mined throughout history is still in circulation in one form or another.

(source : wikipedia.org)

Why Gold?

Why Gold?

After centuries, the way human barters and exchanges things varies in many ways, but one of the most valuable metal which never changes its importance is Gold.

I created this blog to emphasis informations about every types of gold, for everyone to search and learn about this immortal metal.

I will collect every articles, photos, diagrams and everything else i found in this blog, thus I hope that anyone comes into my gold-trader land, especially for traders,would be impressed and satisfied before click close the browser for sure.

for any inconvenience in this site,please forgive me
and don't be hesitate to give me your advices.

for any advantage you get from my collections,
please don't be hesitate to give me a drink!

Cheers!
...

Before knowing any informations,
Let's start with the characteristics of gold..

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Gold (AU) is the most valuable metal known to man. Though there are other valuable metals, none can match the value of gold. Gold has a unique characteristic in that whatever metal it alloys with, its characteristics are further enhanced in relation to its quantity and it can be extracted again from any alloy into its original sole element form. Another important fact is that it is a stable element in itself. Furthermore, the process of purifying gold is so complicated that it makes gold so much more valuable and also rare.

In scientific terminology, gold is a natural, free element, which may be mixed with other metals such as silver, copper, iron, and telluride, with a hardness of 2.5-3.0 and a specific gravity of 15.6-19.3, depending on impurities. It portrays various shades of yellow, and is shiny and very heavy. It is so tensile that it can be beaten into wafer-thin sheets, bent or extruded into a delicate, stranded wire. It can be dissolved only by mercuric acid. Its purity is measured in Karat. The benchmark is that pure gold is 24 karat or 1,000 fineness. 18 karat gold means that the metal is 18 portions gold and 6 portions of others, such as silver, copper, nickel, or 750 fineness or 75% gold.

(Source: World of Gold-Magazine of Jewelry and Watches, issue no. 41 in 2003,
page 56-57)

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Gold Jewelry and The Thai Society

Since the old time, gold jewelry is often given as a present among the Thai in several special occasions. As an article on ‘Thai Gold Ornament’ in the World of Gold Jewelry & Watches Magazine, it has described that “Observing details of the lifestyles of bygone ages, it is noticeable that the Thai were always very fond of personal ornaments, especially gold jewelry. From birth, a child would receive gold ornaments as gifts for being born into a family and from relatives and family friends. When they reach marriageable age, whether formerly or presently, parents of the groom would bestow gold ornaments or gold bullion to the bride as the marriage present. And so too, in the greeting of a favorite daughter-in-law, gold ornaments will please all” (Issue No. 41, Year 2003, Page 53).

With its auspicious meaning and color as well as the infinite value of ‘Gold’, it is until now regarded by the Thai as one of the best gifting items that brings about happiness to all.

(Source : http://www.houseofgoldsmiths.com/about_gold_t.php)