Gold is a precious metal that has fueled greed and lust in humans for centuries. Since ancient times and up through today gold has been a symbol of wealth and power. Gold is the basis for the monetary system in the United States and it is a prime component of valuable jewelry.
The lustre of gold has fascinated artisans for centuries to fashion ornate and lavish decorative pieces for royalty and other wealthy patrons. Ancient civilizations began worshipping golden objects and gold is still worshipped today as a source of power. History has shown over and over again the magical allure of gold by the wars fought to attain gold or lengths to which individuals would go to obtain it. The Egyptian pharaohs worshipped gold and had golden objects buried in their tombs to carry them into the afterlife. Spanish conquerors set off over the unknown horizon, risking their lives in search of gold.
The native peoples of the Americas had great stores of gold yet seemed innocent of its value to the rest of the world.
The Incas called gold "the sweat of the Sun." To appease the Sun God, some cultures practiced sacrificial ceremonies where the victims were wrapped in gold adornments. During the height of the Roman Empire, treasures were made from or covered with gold. At approximately the same time as the fall of the Roman Empire, the local sources of gold in the Mediterranean area had been mined to depletion.
When the Spanish traveler Cortez came upon the Americas in the 1500s and stole the Mexican's treasured gold, productions in gold regained speed. Again, when California's Gold Rush exposed veins of gold along the West Coast and later up in Yukon Territory, gold took on a new dimension. This rush permitted even the most common person to own a piece of gold. If you could find a big enough nugget, you could enter a lifestyle reserved for only the upper echelon. After the gold rush of the mid 1800s, over 90% of the world's population of gold has been produced.
Today, more veins of gold occasionally surface. Discoveries of gold in Australia and South Africa have increased the market for gold again. In Italy, for example, many goldsmiths are returning to "knit" gold into sculptures and other monuments.
Outside storing gold in bar form, in some unknown government vault, gold jewelry remains the top application for gold.
Gold's value in jewelry is determined by karat, weight in grams, crafting, and design. Another factor that plays into the value of gold is the metal with which the pure gold is mixed. While yellow gold was once the traditional standard in jewelry and accessories, many younger generations prefer the updated white color.
What is the difference between white and yellow gold? When mined, gold is yellow. Gold is usually mixed with an alloy of nickel or zinc. White gold is pure gold that is mixed with an alloy of nickel and palladium.
Why does gold continue to appeal to modern people?
Pihder, an ancient philosopher, stated over 2500 years ago, "Gold is the child of Zeus, neither moth or rust devour it."
Copyright 2005 Peter Doram. All rights reserved.
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Peter Doram is the webmaster for FT Gold which is a leading resource for information on gold on the the web. For further information visit his archive of articles here: http://www.ftgold.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
